Producer James L. Brooks on Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’s Legacy

ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret producer James L. Brooks about the movie adaptation of Judy Blume’s famous book. The producer discussed getting the rights to the movie and his work on Wes Anderson‘s Bottle Rocket.

“Raised by a Christian mother and a Jewish father, an adolescent girl starts to ask questions about religion and faith,” reads the movie‘s logline.

Tyler Treese: The themes that are explored throughout this movie are just as relevant now as when it came out in 1970. So can you speak to why the novel’s story still resonates with viewers so much and is timeless?

James L. Brooks: Well, the biology doesn’t change. [Laugh]. A lot changes, but female biology is the same, and there’s a genuine coming of age, and that’s what Judy [Blume] captured — maybe more than anybody ever — in her book.

Judy was very particular about not letting just anybody make this film. She wanted to wait for the right group. What did it mean to you that she saw this creative team and gave it the blessing to do this adaptation?

Well, it was everything. Kelly [Fremon Craig, writer/director] had written her a note saying, “I’d love to adapt this.” And she had seen The Edge of Seventeen, which Kelly and I had both worked on, and liked it — thank heavens. When she said she’d consider it, we went immediately to Key West and showed up at her doorstep. That afternoon had the conversation that led to the film.

You mentioned your previous film with Kelly, which turned out great as well. Why is this such a winning collaboration between you two?

I think a lot of hard work goes into it. I think Kelly learned faster than anybody I’ve seen — on her first film. Her second film was like somebody else’s fifth. I mean, she just came to the second film a complete director.

The film explores religion and how it can impact relationships. What about that theme throughout the movie really grabbed you and sparked your interest?

Search for the answer, search for spirituality. I mean, it applies.

I love the movie Bottle Rocket and you helped really kick off some great careers by being involved with that. How do you view its legacy years later?

It’s so amazing because when I first came to it, the script was … everybody who ended up in the movie — the key actors in the movie and the director and the writer — were all living on the same floor. They all shared the same space on the floor. They’d had this long script, and they’d never read it. And the actors were there, we were right there, they were part of it. Then we read it, and I think it was like four hours long at that point.

Then we started working on it, and it was great. It was a great group. Wes [Anderson] was so clearly Wes, even then, and it worked. It’s a picture that worked because it lives. Because at the time, it didn’t work. I mean, at the time, it was anonymous. I don’t think anybody knew it was out there. And then it just grew, a couple of stops past cult.

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