Judy Blume herself was one of the producers on this first ever film adaptation of her novel. It’s set in 1970, the book’s publication year in the US. The story is about Margaret Simon, whose family moves from the city to the suburbs. She is waiting impatiently for the signs of puberty and is conflicted about what religion she should choose.
Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, everything about this film is so well-done. It’s very similar to the book, with some changes. Some of these are to improve the plot – such as Grandma arriving at the house while the other grandparents are there, not after they’ve left, to heighten the drama of their clashes over religion, and the boy who Margaret has a crush on, Moose, returning her feelings at the end of the book to give her some hope of a relationship after summer camp. Other changes are to make the film more suitable for today’s audience, such as more diversity in the characters and no references to the young male teacher’s attraction to the most developed girl in the class. I really liked Abby Ryder Fortson’s portrayal of Margaret and Kathy Bates as Grandma. Where I might differ from the critics is that I found Rachel McAdams as the mother quite over-acted. Her character was also given an arc where she goes from being a people-pleasing pushover to being able to say no.
In summary this is a wonderful film about girls growing up.
Film poster: Lionsgate, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73006457