‘Forever’ Gets An Update

With so much film and television content now sourced from contemporary young adult novels, it’s gratifying to see classics by Judy Blume—like the 2023 film Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Netflix’s new teen-focused series Forever—getting some long-overdue attention. But is it the right kind?

Over five decades of publishing and nearly 30 books in circulation, Blume’s beloved, multi-million-selling works have rarely made it to the screen. In 1991, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great was adapted into a 23-minute TV movie for CBS Schoolbreak Special. In 2012, Tiger Eyes reached the big screen. Blume’s son, Lawrence Blume, who also co-wrote the screenplays with her, directed both.

Those earlier adaptations feel worlds away from today’s Blume revival. No one quite anticipated the arrival of perhaps her most quoted heroine: Margaret, from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. This coming-of-age story, set in 1970, comes to life with an excellent cast including Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates, and a warm, funny, and grounded performance by Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret.

The book was my introduction to the first-person narrative, and its personal tone stunned me. The film stayed so faithful to the novel, I could have followed along line by line. That faithfulness triggered a certain soft-focus nostalgia, but I still cringed watching Margaret and her friends flap their arms and chant, “I must, I must, I must increase my bust.”

The term “cringe” came from a friend’s daughter who saw the film in theatres with her Gen X mom, at the same age Margaret is in the book. Honestly, I didn’t want to watch the adaptation. That world lives in a treasured corner of my childhood, and I wanted to shield it from the modern gaze. Still, the film scored a 99% Tomatometer and 94% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, most likely from viewers of my generation.

While Margaret’s questions about puberty and crushes still resonate, today’s sixth graders might be sending DMs, swapping skin pics, wearing boob-lifting bras, or even considering hormones to increase their busts. That’s the world of Forever, which takes place in the late 2010s, when smartphones practically deserve their own line in the cast credits.

Aside from the name and the premise of first love, this series has little in common with Blume’s 1975 novel. Super-producer Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane) begins the show with an “inspired by” disclaimer and she has said, “Judy Blume’s ability to capture the real emotions we experience during the various rites of passage of our youth influenced my life choices and writing voice.”

Still, it might have made more sense to separate the series entirely from the book. However, they do list Blume as an executive producer (she was a producer on Margaret and the earlier two adaptations), so she’s given her blessing to this radical reinterpretation.

Fans of the original should let go of any expectations about its protagonists Katherine and Michael. In this Forever, we meet Keisha and Justin, played with charm by Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. Keisha, raised by a single mom, is a driven, ambitious teen with her sights set on a full scholarship to Howard University. Justin is sensitive but unfocused, cushioned by wealth and struggling to keep his grades afloat.

They’ve relocated the story to Los Angeles, where (mis)communication reigns, thanks to those ever-present phones. It’s those same phones that capture her in a compromising sexual situation that upends her plans for the future. Keisha’s default conflict resolution is to block people. Unfortunately, that’s what Forever looks like today.

In the book, the sexual content was female-forward and informative. I learned about non-penetrative sex, birth control, STIs, Planned Parenthood, and actual intimacy. I also learned what it felt like when “forever” love faded, and it broke my heart. The series breaks my heart in a different way. The normalized expectation that first love involves sex videos, emotionally detached hookups, and misread text messages is bleak. There’s no solid foundation for Keisha and Justin to build anything lasting “forever.” Their relationship is more like Disneyland’s Tower of Terror: a jolt upward, then a steep drop, again and again, until the inevitable crash.

It would’ve been powerful to see Forever retain the original story’s slow-build intimacy and emotional nuance, even in a contemporary setting. Instead, it reinforces a cycle of confused and disconnected relationships, driven more by technology than true feeling.

What stands out in Akil’s version is her thoughtful, multifaceted portrayal of Black families. To paraphrase YA author Nic Stone: “Show Black people living, loving, and doing.” Akil does just that, particularly with the adult characters. This will, no doubt propel Forever into a hit with audiences of all ages, like Netflix’s other teen-centric series.

Keeping Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret rooted in its 1970s setting limits its universality by tying it to a specific era. But reimagining Forever too forcefully into the present also strips it of universality. Forever grounds so firmly in now, it risks becoming disposable. Hulu is currently developing a Blume-produced series adaptation of Summer Sisters, which gives me pause. I’d rather keep Judy on my bookshelf, just as she is.