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margaret-are-you-demo.jpeg

'Are You There God? It's Me Margaret' Has a Demographic Problem

By Dustin Rowles | Film | May 1, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | Film | May 1, 2023 |


margaret-are-you-demo.jpeg

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a lovely film adapted from a classic Judy Blume book by the talented director behind the fantastic Edge of Seventeen, Kelly Fremon Craig. It’s hard to imagine updating a beloved 1970 novel as well as Fremon Craig has here while also keeping Judy Blume’s original spirit intact. Rachel McAdams is perfectly cast as Barbara Simon, the mother of Margaret, the 12-year-old at the center of the film, played terrifically by Abby Ryder Fortson (Ant-Man’s daughter in the first film). Even Benny Safdie looks the part in the role of the dad, and Kathy Bates is so perfect as Margaret’s Jewish grandmother, Sylvia, that the movie can be forgiven for not casting a Jewish woman in the role.

The film is about Margaret, who moves from New York City to New Jersey, where she meets a new group of friends that introduces new stresses around growing up, liking boys, and going through puberty. Margaret, meanwhile, is also trying to figure out if she’s Jewish (like her dad), Christian (like her mom), or none of the above (her parents allow her the freedom to make her own decisions about religion). The film is heartwarming, funny, and thoughtful. It is about universal themes — friendship, family, religion — and it’s also about a universal experience for girls: periods. It hits all the right notes and has a well-deserved 99 percent on the Tomatometer (and a 100 percent audience score). The only problem with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is that no one is watching it.

That’s not entirely true. It made nearly $7 million over the weekend, and I attended a nearly sold-out Sunday evening showing after being shut out of a sold-out Sunday afternoon screening. I am not the target demographic for this film, but I attended along with the two precise demographics for it: women who grew up on Judy Blume and ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’, and their preteen children. My wife, around the same age as Rachel McAdams, loved Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and my twins are only a few months behind the character of Margaret, who enters the sixth grade in the film (the twins will be entering the sixth grade in the fall). My wife loved the film. The twins loved the film (although they both expressed disappointment that McAdams — whom they otherwise know from Mean Girls — never said to her daughter, “Get in loser. We’re going shopping”).

Margaret is specifically aimed at preteen girls and their mothers. The problem is only the mothers are showing up in theaters. That was certainly the case in my screening, and according to Deadline, most of the audience was white ladies. It’s bad when the audience is only comprised of 6 percent of one of the target demographics. Hell, most of the people in our screening were probably white women over the age of 60.

But why aren’t younger girls showing up? I’m not sure. I will say this: The twins weren’t all that interested in seeing it. They feel the same about Judy Blume novels: They’re not interested in them, but they love them when they finally sit down to read them. Judy Blume has sadly fallen out of fashion. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret cannot compete with Heartstopper or graphic novels. Blume is too old-fashioned; there are rotary phones in her books! Also, the idea of spin-the-bottle or seven minutes in Heaven (or two minutes in the bathroom with a boy) appropriately feels both cringey and kind of assault-y to Gen Z.

The most popular middle-aged books of the last four or five years have been Refugee and Wonder, both of which are great novels, beloved by all my kids. There is definitely some Judy Blume spirit coursing through Wonder, but while mean girls, training bras, and periods are relatable, maybe life before screens is a harder sell outside of Stranger Things. The 1970s were a long time ago — 50 years! — and I wonder if ’80s kids would’ve been as interested in The Breakfast Club if it had been set in the 1930s, or She’s All That set in the 1940s?

All of which is to say: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret falls under a very specific kind of film familiar to most parents: The movie your kids love, but only after you make them watch it. Parents are only allotted a few of those each year and have to use them wisely. If your child is in the right demo, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is worth risking a little parent capital — you’ll get it all right back, I promise. On the other hand, as the twins insisted to me, if you are a middle-aged man, don’t go watch it alone. That’s just creepy.