7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When her family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Benny Safdie, Abby Ryder Fortson, Elle GrahamDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
There are any number of refreshing things about Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, * and one of them occurs before the film even
starts,
namely the memorable Gracie Films masthead that may serve as logo comfort food (if such a thing exists) for anyone who has loved any of the
superb
productions that James L. Brooks has brought to both the large and small screens over many, many decades. Some may feel, as I did upon seeing
it, that at least in terms of big screen offerings, it's been too long. But then the actual film starts, and a
variety of breaths of fresh
air suffuse the environment, including a story featuring a relatively intact and, wait for it, happy family unit that includes a very
smart
daughter named Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson). Margaret bucks certain seemingly eternal teenage trends of withering disdain about life in general
by engaging in "up close and personal"
conversations with her Creator (as in that "sky personage" in the film's title, not her biological parents, though she certainly has conversations with
them as well). This sweet and emotionally satisfying film is of course based on the beloved novel by Judy Blume, which might have been tagged
with
that now omnipresent "YA" category had that been in the common vernacular back in 1970 when the book was released. Blume is on record (and
is
rather present in some of the supplements on this disc as well) stating that Margaret is at least in some ways her attempt at an autobiographical
character, and that she (Judy), like Margaret, often reached out to have a chat with her Creator. Despite me hardly being in anything
near a
YA demographic, and not sharing a gender with its focal character, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret really connected with me on any
number of levels, which may augur well for the film's home theater release, since, despite pretty rapturous reviews, it didn't exactly set the box
office
on fire during its theatrical exhibition, but may now find a wider appreciative audience who will have a similarly positive reaction.
*Yes, you strict orthographers, the title of this film ends with a period, but including it as part of a sentence which continues just bugged me, so I
omitted it.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDb lists the Sony CineAlta and a 4K DI as the relevant data points. One of this film's most appealing elements is its picture perfect recreation of the seventies, and this transfer preserves near impeccable fine detail on the variety of patterns, fabrics and textures that are offered throughout the story. Things can be occasionally graded just slightly coolly, with a very subtle but noticeable blue-green undertone, as can perhaps even be made out in some of the screenshots accompanying this review, but the palette is still very nicely suffused and vibrant. This is another Lionsgate release where their masthead exhibits noticeable banding but there are no problems with the actual feature presentation.
Perhaps surprisingly given its relatively intimate demeanor, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret features a Dolby Atmos track that probably attains it most notable engagement of the Atmos speakers during some of the fun source cues. The track is immersive throughout, in both interior and exterior sequences, but it's obviously not going to be the kind of sonic onslaught that can be a featured element in more (literally?) over the top Atmos tracks. Fidelity is excellent throughout, and there no problems with distortion or other issues. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional French, English and Spanish subtitles are available.
One of the kind of unspoken truths of this tale is that it wasn't until right around 1970, and actually just a bit later, that folks like Margaret and me, whom I joking refer to as "dreaded patrilineals" (i.e., a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother), were even accepted as Jews by many Jewish people, something that I can tell you from personal experience can lead to feelings of being an "outsider", which Margaret is obviously experiencing in droves anyway. But here's the thing about this really sweet film: my "connections" to it may not resonate at all with some readers, but I can virtually guarantee those readers will find their own connections to this story, whether or not they're female, half Jewish or a Baby Boomer. Technical merits are first rate and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret definitely comes Highly recommended.
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