”Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and ”The Chevalier”

The beloved writer Judy Blume's 1970 novel "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" is given a very satisfying adaptation in which the story about a girl entering her teen years is handled with comic ease. In this podcast episode, HCC film professors Marie Westhaver and Mike Giuliano agree that Abby Ryder Fortson as young Margaret, Rachel McAdams as her mother and Kathy Bates as her grandmother are all delightful, and the 1970s detail really captures that era. This film is a real winner. Marie and Mike also talk about "Chevalier," in which a polymath Black composer (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is making a name for himself in 18th century Paris. Although they admire how the film makes this real historical figure better known to modern audiences, Marie and Mike think that the film takes an overly conventional approach to what must have been an extraordinary life.