Judy Blume Forever
{{Infobox film
| image = Judy-Blume-Forever.jpeg
| caption = Release poster
| director = {{plainlist|
- Davina Pardo
- Leah Wolchok
}}
| producer = {{plainlist|
- Sara Bernstein
- Davina Pardo
- Marcella Steingart
- Justin Wilkes
- Leah Wolchok
}}
| writer =
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| starring = Judy Blume
| narrator =
| music = Lauren Culjak
| cinematography = {{plainlist|
- Jenni Morello
- Emily Topper
}}
| editing = Tal Ben-David
| production_companies = Imagine Documentaries
| distributor = Amazon Studios
| released = {{Film date|2023|1|21|Sundance|2023|4|21|United States}}
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Judy Blume Forever is a 2023 American documentary film centered on author Judy Blume, directed by Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok. It premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and was released on Prime Video on April 21, 2023. The film won a 2023 Peabody Award for "lovingly sketching a feminist coming-of-age tale of this esteemed author and her readers alike, and for wrapping it up in a rallying cry in support of the power of reading."{{cite web | url=https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/judy-blume-forever/ | title=Judy Blume Forever }}
Summary
The documentary covers the life, career, and legacy of Judy Blume, including her experiences with some of her books being banned, and the current state of free speech in the United States.{{cite news |last1=Patten |first1=Dominic |title='Judy Blume Forever' Directors On The Author's Legacy, Relevance & Banned Books In America – Sundance Q&A |url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/judy-blume-documentary-sundance-directors-interview-amazon-1235237452/ |access-date=2 February 2023 |publisher=Deadline |date=23 January 2023}} It documents her trajectory from her upbringing in New Jersey to suburban housewife to famous novelist of young adult fiction.{{cite news |last1=Vargas |first1=Alani |title=Judy Blume Forever, Sundance 'Judy Blume Forever' Review: Documentary Joyfully Celebrates Esteemed Author's Life & Impact |url=https://theplaylist.net/judy-blume-forever-review-documentary-joyfully-celebrates-esteemed-authors-life-impact-sundance-20230124/ |access-date=2 February 2023 |publisher=The Playlist |date=24 January 2023}} It includes new interviews with Blume, as well as past talk show appearances, archival photographs, and testimonials about Blume's impact from actors Lena Dunham, Molly Ringwald, and Anna Konkle, comedian Samantha Bee, authors Mary H.K. Choi and Jacqueline Woodson, Blume's two children, and adult women who corresponded with Blume when they were teens.{{cite news |last1=Keegan |first1=Rebecca |title=After 29 Books, Judy Blume Finally Tells Her Own Story in New Doc |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/judy-blume-interview-documentary-1235302112/ |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |date=20 January 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Erbland |first1=Kate |title='Judy Blume Forever' Review: Finally, an American Icon Worthy of Adoration |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2023/01/judy-blume-forever-review-documentary-1234797994/ |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=Indiewire |date=21 January 2023}}
Cast
Production
While on a road trip with her husband and kids, Davina Pardo listened to an audiobook version of Judy Blume's young adult novel Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and became curious about Blume's life.{{cite news |last1=Morfoot |first1=Addie |title=How 'Judy Blume Forever' Directors Convinced the Literary Icon to Open Up on Camera |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/spotlight/judy-blume-forever-sundance-1235497000/ |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=Variety |date=21 January 2023}} When directors Pardo and Leah Wolchok approached Blume in June 2018 about being the subject of a documentary, she was initially hesitant. In February 2020, she agreed, but filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news |title="Judy's Books Allowed Us to Travel Back to Our Own Childhoods" |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/118244-leah-wolchok-davina-pardo-judy-blume-forever-sundance-2023/#.Y9aTguzMKAl |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=Filmmaker Magazine |date=21 January 2023}}
Release
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023. It was released on Prime Video on April 21, 2023.
Reception
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|95|7.8|59|An entertaining look back at an influential author's career, Judy Blume Forever lovingly contextualizes her literary legacy.}}{{cite web |title=Judy Blume Forever |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/judy_blume_forever |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=May 23, 2023}} {{Metacritic film prose |score=79|count=16}}{{cite web |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/judy-blume-forever |title=Judy Blume Firever Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=May 23, 2023}}
Kate Erbland of Indiewire gave the film a B+, writing that it provides "an edifying and rich overview of everything Judy." Guy Lodge of Variety called it "a lively, affectionate documentary tribute" in which "nostalgia for that sense of formative discovery is balanced by a present-tense exploration of Blume’s enduring popularity, resonance and controversy."{{cite news |last1=Lodge |first1=Guy |title=Crayola-Bright Documentary Pays Tribute to a Path-Breaking Children's Author |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/judy-blume-forever-review-1235498194/ |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=Variety |date=22 January 2023}} Tim Grierson of Screen Daily called Blume "fun company" who "comes across as a warm, generous spirit."{{cite news |last1=Grierson |first1=Tim |title='Judy Blume Forever': Sundance Review |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/judy-blume-forever-sundance-review/5178090.article |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=Screen Daily |date=21 January 2023}}
Judy Blume Forever won a 2023 Peabody Award.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|18787516|Judy Blume Forever}}
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:2023 documentary films
Category:American documentary films
Category:Documentary films about women writers
Category:Imagine Entertainment films
Category:Amazon MGM Studios films