In this long-awaited movie adaption of Judy Blume’s classic, groundbreaking novel, eleven-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school. She relies on her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates). A timeless coming-of-age story, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret sparkles with insightful humor while candidly exploring life’s biggest questions.
For in-depth thoughts on Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, please see my colleague Tristian Evans’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret to Blu-Ray with a terrific 1080p video presentation in its original 1.85:1. The transfer perfectly captures the ‘70s aesthetic with a vibrant natural color palette lovingly saturated on screen. There are some nice splashes of colors within the clothing, locations and production design which makes for a radiant image. Highlights show no signs of blooming, and the black levels are as deep as you would hope with no obvious digital noise. The skin tones are natural with a tremendous amount of detail present throughout. There are also crystal clear textural details which add a nice dimension to the frame. The presentation provides a sterling amount of depth on display in the various environments. While we would not pass up a 4K UHD Blu-Ray if it were ever to materialize, Lionsgate has given this one a perfectly good high definition presentation.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an effective Dolby Atmos track that brings this relatively reserved narrative to vivid life. The dialogue always comes through crisp and clear with no competing element ever causing lost information. The lovely Hans Zimmer score fills the speakers with perfect fidelity alongside the perfectly executed needle drops from the era. With the Atmos track, you get the addition of overhead speaker accompaniment, and the channels are mostly engaged when it comes to the music and other particular moments that allow the channels to make themselves known.
There is not much in the way of big, kinetic sequences, but the low end delivers the appropriate texture when it needs to. Ambient sounds such as the din of the classroom and the wildlife of suburbia are precisely placed in the rear channels. The audio track did not need to go as hard as it does, but we are thrilled to have a sonic experience which captures all of the nuances of this world. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Finally That Time – Making Margaret: A really great 20-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the drive to honor the Judy Blume source material, the process of adapting the novel, what the book means for so many generations, finding the right performer for Margaret, the timeless themes of story and much more that gives nice insight to this production.
- Are You There Margaret? It’s Me, Judy: An eight-minute piece in which Judy Blume discusses her journey to writing the titular book, what it meant to her, the themes of the narrative, the impact it had on its audience since its release and more.
- The Secret Crew Club – Margaret and Friends: An eight-minute look at the young performers who make up the core crew, their real-life friendship, the atmosphere on set, the place of other class members in the story and more.
- Bringing The Period To Life – Designing Margaret: A 10-minute piece which takes a look at the care that was taken to bring this era to life in an authentic way, shooting in North Carolina, where they gained inspiration, crafting specific rooms in the house and more.
- Deleted Scenes: There are two unused scenes totaling a minute-and-a-half which deal with Margaret and her concern over her development. These moments are fun, but it makes sense if they were cut for time or pacing reasons.
- Roundtable Discussion: A six-minute discussion with Judy Blume, director Kelly Fremon Craig, producers James L. Brooks and Julie Ansell, and actors Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams in which they discuss the decision to tell this story on screen, their relationship to the material, what they want audiences to take away from the film and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The nearly two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is top tier cinema. While other films need unbelievable special effects and globe-trotting adventures to feel even somewhat vital, they come nowhere close to making you feel something as deeply as this film does. The story is brilliant in its enduring relatability, and director Kelly Fremon Craig finesses things even further to make the experience feel even more timeless for a wider audience. The performers bring so much empathy to these characters, and every exchange and narrative development makes you fall a little more in love with this world. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a stellar A/V presentation and some nice special features. This is a treat for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Essential
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on July 11, 2023. The film is currently available on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.