ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET

Well, given that the climax of this film is the title character getting her first period it's fair to say that I'm not the target audience.  But never mind, I ended up being won over by this adaptation of a Judy Blume novel.

Admittedly things got off to a fairly slow start, as Margaret has to come to terms with her parents relocating.   Not that this is too difficult since she immediately acquires some friends.  It all seemed a bit bland and low key.

And I couldn't get too worked up by the fact that Margaret's mother has given up her satisfying job as an art teacher.

In fact, writing this a few weeks after seeing the film I'm struggling to recall what it was I enjoyed. 

I guess a lot of the credit has to go to Abby Ryder Fortson's quietly engaging performance as Margaret, and the care taken with the supporting characters, basically her schoolfriends and her grandparents. 

I certainly enjoyed the stuff about the role of religion in Margaret's life, given that one grandmother is Jewish (an entertaining turn by Kathy Bates) and the other grandparents are devoutly Christian. 

Ultimately it's all a bit too divorced from gritty reality for my taste, but there's no denying it has charm and is done very well.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do