Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Celebrated author Judy Blume rejected many offers to adapt her most well-known book, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," since its publication in 1970. Blume had just about given up on an adaptation ever happening when in 2016, she was completely taken with Kelly Fremon Craig's remarkable directorial debut The Edge of Seventeen, which may be one of the best possible examples if you're looking for a movie about young people where the characters actually talk and feel like real young people. Not long after that movie's release, Blume sold the film rights for her book to Fremon Craig and producer James L. Brooks, leading to a fierce studio bidding war that was eventually won by Lionsgate. It may have been a long wait to see her work on the big screen, but her patient selectivity seems to have paid off big time; Blume herself has gleefully called the adaptation "better than the book."

It's high praise that is absolutely earned, as Fremon Craig and her talented cast and crew have created a real rarity -- a heartwarming and refreshingly frank coming-of-age story that feels genuine and relatable to people of all ages.

The movie stays true to the plot of the book, following sixth-grader Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) and her family as they move from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. Margaret struggles to adapt to this new way of life, but quickly becomes part of a friend group spearheaded by the super-confident Nancy (Elle Graham), and settles into life at her new school with all of the homework assignments and cute boys that come with it. The girl's shenanigans are a delight to watch, dominated by the kinds of real anxieties that come with being that age, especially in a time before the internet. The girls do a recurring dance in an effort to make their chests grow. They have a competition to see who can get their period first. Margaret notices armpit hair on a boy and instantly gets a crush. It's all shot with such compassion and respect for the characters that it's hard not to root for them, even when they are being needlessly cruel to each other (as young kids tend to be).

Not all of the changes Margaret is going through has to do with her body, however. After surprising her teacher by writing that she does not like “religious holidays” in a paper, her teacher asks her to write about religion in a year-long research project. Margaret is being raised without religion by parents with a complicated religious journey of their own. Her mother (Rachel McAdams) is distanced from her own Catholic family after they disowned her for marrying a Jewish husband (Benny Safdie). Margaret is very close to her paternal grandmother (a wonderful Kathy Bates) who is hopeful Margaret will become Jewish. There's a lot here about how the choices of parents can affect their children for an entire lifetime, often projecting their own beliefs in harmful ways.

Margaret is curious about a relationship with God (or a God), even if she isn't sure what religion she should be, if any. She goes to a variety of different services and tries to find something that feels true for her. She talks regularly to God, even if she's not so sure that one exists. The movie does a great job showing how someone at this age would consider the role of religion; Margaret asks God for help with things like quickly getting to puberty and calls church services "boring," but still respects the fact that a spiritual relationship can have deeper personal significance, even when the people around her use religion as a means to their own ends. All told, it's a very intelligent and modern take on the subject.

Abby Ryder Fortson is front and center for the majority of the movie as Margaret, carrying the movie perfectly with charm, humor and a well-portrayed sense of inner turmoil. As great as she is, the movie completely belongs to Rachel McAdams, who delivers what might be the best performance of her career, and one that should not be (but probably will be) overlooked come awards season. McAdams gets plenty of screen time as Margaret's mother, but she is also a completely fleshed out character beyond just "busy mom". She struggles to find her own sense of purpose after stopping work after the family's move to a nicer suburb, volunteering for every school cause imaginable and working to develop hobbies and skills she never had before. McAdams generates such empathy and warmth that her character's own journey is just as captivating as her daughter's, leading to some absolutely devastating moments when she is finally confronted by her long-absent family.

Most of the material here is well-trod territory; the coming-of-age genre likely has Blume's source material to thank for many of the tropes, but this adaptation tweaks things just enough to feel modern, even if the lessons are timeless. Fremon Craig treats the story and characters with such care that it's hard to imagine a person better suited to make this adaptation. I just felt really good after leaving the theater, and that's about the highest compliment I can give. It's a must-watch if you have young children, and a must-watch even if you don't.