Oscars alert: Watch out for Rachel McAdams (‘Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?’)

Jacob Sarkisian
·5 min read
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“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret?” is something of a sleeper hit. The Lionsgate film earned stellar reviews when it was released on April 28 but grossed just $21.5 million against a $30 million budget. However, almost every person I have spoken to at various events this year from the London Film Festival to the British Short Film Awards have touted this film as one of their favorites of the year.

The movie, adapted from Judy Blume‘s 1970 novel of the same name, follows 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) who must navigate new friends, emotions, and adolescence when her family relocates from the city to the suburbs. Described by many as a “warm hug of a movie,” the film has plenty of fans despite its box office performance. In fact, it currently sits at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.

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One of the big beneficiaries of this reception could be Rachel McAdams, who plays Margaret’s mother and could take advantage of this year’s (very) open Best Supporting Actress race with a bid of her own.

Peter Travers (ABC News) opined: “Can we pause to mention how smashing these actors are at extending Margaret’s story through several generations? McAdams, whose films run the gamut from ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘The Notebook’ to the drama of ‘Spotlight,’ excels at showing the pangs of Barbara’s adjustment.”

EJ Dickson (Rolling Stone) raved: “McAdams’ immaculate performance elevates the role even further. The word ‘incandescent’ is one that film critics have tended to apply to her (it shows up in at least three reviews of this film alone), but it’s fairly apt; with her beachy waves and wide smile, she appears onscreen as if she’s lit up from within, impeccably telegraphing the frustration of a winsome artist relegated to cutting out paper stars for a PTA fundraiser.”

Marya E. Gates (Roger Ebert) noted: “In the hands of McAdams, one of her generation’s most emotionally charged performers, Barbara becomes more than just a stereotypical overworked mom. Her warmth radiates throughout the film, as she must be both a safe harbor for Margaret’s ever-changing moods and also a ship on her own rocky journey toward self-actualization. McAdams is so mesmerizing in this role that she almost overpowers Margaret’s story.” She summarized: “This film belongs to McAdams, whose incandescent performance should be remembered not just as end-of-the-year lists start to roll in but also as perhaps her most accomplished performance yet.”

At the moment, according to our Oscars odds chart for this category, our predicted nominees are Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”), Danielle Brooks and Taraji P. Henson (“The Color Purple”), and Jodie Foster (“Nyad”).

But there are multiple actresses just outside of these predicted five who could also get in, including Julianne Moore (“May December”), Penélope Cruz (“Ferrari”), America Ferrera (“Barbie”), Rosamund Pike (“Saltburn”), Viola Davis (“Air”), Sandra Hüller (“The Zone of Interest”), Vanessa Kirby (“Napoleon”), and McAdams. There are a lot of contenders in this very open race. And that is the key point — this race really is so open, which leaves the door open for many surprise nominations.

This happens quite a bit in this category, actually. Kathy Bates  in 2020 for “Richard Jewell,” Marina de Tavira n 2019 for “Roma,” Lesley Manville in 2018 for “Phantom Thread,” and Laura Dern in 2015 for “Wild.” Indeed, McAdams pulled off this type of nomination herself when she reaped a bid in 2016 for “Spotlight.” That produced her only Oscar nomination after a career of diverse roles. So, she has shown that she can muster support and procure a nomination even when a lot of pundits don’t expect her to.

She could do that again here, particularly as she plays a mother in this movie, a role that often lands nominations in this category. Angela Bassett was nominated earlier this year for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever;” Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jessie Buckley were nominated in 2022 for “King Richard” and “The Lost Daughter,” respectively; Scarlett Johansson and Bates were nominated in 2020 for “Jojo Rabbit” and “Richard Jewell,” respectively; Regina King won in 2019 for “If Beale Street Could Talk;” and Allison Janney won in 2018 for “I, Tonya” while Laurie Metcalf (“Lady Bird”) and Manville (“Phantom Thread”) were both also nominated in the same year.

We also often associate Best Supporting Actress with dramatic villainous roles but if you look a little closer at recent nominees lists, you’ll find that performers are often nominated for warmer roles such as McAdams’ in this movie. Some examples include 2022 nominee Judi Dench in “Belfast,” 2021 winner Youn Yuh-Jung in “Minari,” 2020 nominee Johansson in “Jojo Rabbit,” 2018 nominee Metcalf in “Lady Bird,” and 2017 nominee Nicole Kidman, another mother, in “Lion.” McAdams’ role very much fits this pattern.

McAdams has also shown that she has found some early support for her performance, picking up a Best Supporting Performance bid at this year’s upcoming Gotham Independent Film Awards. The other women in this gender-neutral category are Cruz (“Ferrari”), Claire Foy (“All of Us Strangers”), Hüller (“The Zone of Interest”), and Randolph (“The Holdovers”).

But the overriding factor here is still that this is such an open category. Any actress who turns in a great performance and can muster some support from critics and awards groups is more than in with a shot at earning an Oscar nomination in this category. And McAdams, who is liked by the academy and has shown she can land an Oscar bid already, fits that bill.

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