Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.
A faithful and warmly executed adaptation of Judy Blume's beloved novel, the film's greatest strength is its ensemble acting — Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates are standouts alongside a remarkably natural lead performance from Abby Ryder Fortson. The plot follows the source material closely, capturing the episodic, interior quality of adolescent experience with honesty and humor, though it offers little structural surprise. Cinematography is competent and period-appropriate without being visually distinctive. Novelty is moderate — the film benefits from Blume's singular voice and the rarity of genuinely girl-centered coming-of-age stories done with this much care, but it remains a conventional adaptation in execution. The ending is emotionally satisfying and true to the book's spirit without being remarkable on its own terms.