50 | APRIL 20 • 2023
BLUME-MANIA AND DEAD
RINGERS, REDUX
On April 21, Amazon
Prime begins streaming
Judy Blume Forever, a
documentary about Judy
Blume, 84. She’s the author
of many best-selling novels
for “tweens” and young
adult audiences — and a few
big-selling novels for adults.
The respected Hollywood
Reporter gave the “doc” a
rave review, noting: “[The
film] looks at the legacy of
the pioneering young adult
fiction writer at a time when
many of the issues she
confronted — book banning,
abortion, antisemitism — are
still shockingly topical.”
On April 28, the film Are
You There God? It’s Me,
Margaret, opens in theaters.
It is based on a Blume
novel of the same name.
For decades, Blume turned
down offers to make It’s
Me, Margaret into a movie.
Blume now says that “the
[new] film is better than my
novel.”
Margaret is a 12-year-
old girl who is trying to
cope with puberty. She’s
also trying to find out what
religious belief is “right.”
Her mother isn’t Jewish,
and her father is Jewish
and she’s been raised
secular. Benjamin Safdie,
37, plays Margaret’s father.
Antisemitism figures in the
plot.
The documentary and It’s
Me, Margaret are very much
related and their premieres
are obviously coordinated.
They are the first two
“things” in what I’ve come
to think of as the “Blume
Wave.”
Judy Blume was born
Judy Sussman, the daughter
of an Elizabeth, New Jersey,
Jewish dentist and his
Jewish wife, a homemaker.
Blume says her parents
were not very religious.
They were, she says, more
relaxed about talking about
sex than most parents.
Like many Jewish women
of the “Silent Generation,”
Blume was well-educated
(NYU-grad, 1960) but chose
to marry (1959) her college
sweetheart (John Blume,
a lawyer) and become a
homemaker. Her daughter,
Randy, was born in 1961, and
her son, Lawrence, was born
in 1963.
Randy is a therapist and
Lawrence is a writer, director
and film producer. Both
are interviewed in the new
documentary.
Blume’s first work was
published in 1969. Her
breakthrough novel was
Are You There God? It’s Me,
Margaret (1970). To date, her
novels have sold more than
90 million copies.
Her readers cite “honesty”
first as the reason they buy
her books. Blume honestly,
realistically and sensitively
covered subjects in her
novels that tweens and
young adults were/are
especially interested in —
like sex, puberty, abortion
and “real-life” romance.
Big book sales led
producers to constantly
ask Blume for filming rights.
For the same reason,
documentary makers wanted
to talk to Blume. Blume said
“no” to a documentary, and
she allowed only two films
to be made from her novels
— a TV movie in 1978 and a
small-budget indie in 2012
(directed by her son).
The Hollywood Reporter
says that Blume now thinks
it’s time to “open up.” She’s
agreed to work with Mark
Oppenheimer, 49, on a
book-length biography
about her. He formerly
was the writer of the NY
Times ”Beliefs” column, and
his most recent book is
about the Tree of Life
(Pittsburgh) synagogue
murders. On his website,
he proudly notes that he’s a
challah baker.
Also in the works is a
Netflix series loosely based
on Blume’s 1975 novel
Forever and, after three
years of pleading, Blume
agreed to be the subject
of Judy Blume Forever.
The “pleaders” were
documentary co-directors
Davina Pardo and Leah
Wolchok, 45.
Pardo and Wolchok
previously helmed
Very Semi-Serious, an
entertaining 2015 film about
New Yorker magazine
cartoonists. Wolchok, alone,
made the short film Kosher
Cop (2004). It’s about
the hectic life of a (real)
Berkeley, California, rabbi
who “kosherizes” restaurant
ovens with a blow torch
(really).
The original Amazon
Prime series Dead Ringers
premieres on April 21.
This eight-episode series
is based on the 1988 film
of the same name. The
1988 film was directed by
and co-written by David
Cronenberg, now 80. In the
film, Jeremy Irons played
identical twin brothers who
are both gynecologists.
The film and the new
series are described as a
“psychological thriller.”
In the Amazon series,
Rachel Weisz, 52, plays
the dual role that Irons
played. As in the 1988 film,
the twins share everything
from drugs to lovers. The
(female) pair are passionate
about challenging outdated
gynecology practices, even
if they push the boundaries
of medical ethics.
Jeremy Shamos, 53, has
a big recurring role. He’s a
respected character actor
who had supporting roles in
Better Call Saul and Nurse
Jackie.
He co-starred as Amy
Schumer’s husband in
Meteor Shower, a 2017
Broadway play. This “big-
time” role led the JTA to
profile Shamos, who told
the JTA that he had had a
bar mitzvah ceremony and
celebrates major Jewish
holidays with his wife,
actress Nina Hellman, 52.
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
CARL LENDER/WIKIPEDIA
Judy Blume
UNORTHODOX PODCAST
Mark Oppenheimer
MONTCLAIR FILM/WIKIPEDIA
Rachel Weisz