Plot

When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

Margaret Simon is just 11 going on 12 when her family moves from New York City to Farbrook, New Jersey. Margaret's mother is Christian and her father is Jewish. Margaret has been raised without an affiliation to either faith, and does not practice an organized religion, although she frequently prays to God in her own words, beginning by saying, "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret." She is beginning to feel uncomfortable with her lack of a religious affiliation. For a school assignment, she chooses to study people's religious beliefs, hoping to resolve the question of her own religion in the process. Part of her study involves attending different places of worship to better understand religious practice and also to see if one of them might be right for her. She enjoys spending time with her Jewish paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon, who loves her as she is, and hopes Margaret will embrace Judaism after taking her to her synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services.

For over fifty years, Judy Blume's classic Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has connected with readers through its relatable story, achingly funny details, and candid exploration of life's biggest questions. In Lionsgate's big-screen adaptation, 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City for 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), who isn't happy they moved away and likes to remind them every chance she gets. The film also stars Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza, Good Time) and is written for the screen and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen), based on the book by Judy Blume, and produced by Gracie Films' Academy Award® winner James L. Brooks (Best Picture, 1983 - Terms of Endearment), alongside Julie Ansell. Richard Sakai, Kelly Fremon Craig, Judy Blume, Amy Lorraine Brooks, Aldric La'auli Porter, and executive produced by Jonathan McCoy.—Lionsgate

It is a coming-of-age novel about 11-year-old Margaret Simon, who is raised without a religious affiliation. Margaret moves with her family to a New Jersey suburb, where she feels uncomfortable with her lack of religious identity. She forms a secret club with her friends, where they discuss puberty, boys, and religion. Margaret struggles with her own puberty and religious identity while studying different religions for a school assignment. She experiences jealousy, guilt, and confusion over her feelings towards boys and religion.—Frank Liesenborgs