<\/p>\n

At 85, beloved author Judy Blume is experiencing a career renaissance with back-to-back film projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

The documentary Judy Blume Forever is now available on Prime Video, while the long-awaited film adaptation of her classic novel, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, hits theaters on April 28.<\/span><\/p>\n

The former offers a biographical account of Blume’s life and career, while the latter has been eagerly anticipated by her fans for years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Judy Blume and Hollywood Adaptations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Blume has been known to be selective when it comes to Hollywood adaptations of her work. However, writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig’s Edge of Seventeen convinced her that Craig and producer James L. Brooks were the right team for Margaret.<\/span><\/p>\n

The author shared her insights with the filmmakers to ensure the film’s authenticity, even correcting the portrayal of the iconic “We must, we must, we must increase our bust” exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acclaim for Margaret’s Cast<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Blume has praised the film’s cast, particularly Abby Ryder Fortson (Margaret), Rachel McAdams (Barbara), and Kathy Bates (Grandma).<\/span><\/p>\n

She appreciates how the film provides a more nuanced portrayal of the adult characters compared to the book, which is written from a 12-year-old’s perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rediscovering Themes in Margaret<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The film adaptation of Margaret has brought renewed attention to the novel’s themes, including anti-Semitism experienced by Margaret’s grandparents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many adult readers have expressed surprise at not having noticed this theme in their childhood readings, demonstrating the novel’s depth and enduring relevance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The film adaptation of Margaret has brought renewed attention to the novel’s themes, including anti-Semitism experienced by Margaret’s grandparents.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span>\r\n\r\n

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Documentary and Film as Bookends?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Blume acknowledges the unique experience of having both a documentary about her life and a film adaptation of her work released so closely together.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, she sees them as separate entities, with the former being an emotionally challenging but beautifully handled portrayal of her life and the latter being a product of her imagination.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Power of Judy Blume’s Writing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Blume’s novels are celebrated for their openness about teenage concerns such as sex, menstruation, and bullying.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, their enduring appeal comes from the author’s sensitivity, compassion, and understanding of young people’s struggles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret remains her best-selling book and has permeated popular culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Faithfulness and Honesty in the Film Adaptation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The film adaptation of Margaret, directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, remains faithful to the book while offering a fresh perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Craig was struck by the novel’s exploration of the divine and aimed to capture the same sense of honesty and self-discovery in the film.<\/span><\/p>\n

This commitment to authenticity extends to scenes depicting the use of sanitary pads and the infamous bust-increasing exercises.<\/span><\/p>\n

Responsibility to Judy Blume and Her Fans<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Craig feels a tremendous responsibility to Judy Blume, her fans, and those who have yet to discover her work.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the release of both the documentary and film adaptation, a new generation of readers can experience the transformative power of Blume’s writing, while long-time fans can revisit her stories in a new light.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":156711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3384],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-and-tv"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156710"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}