Love, Simon
REVIEW
I am big fan of the classic John Hughes teen comedies from the 80’s. They defined the era. You can go back and watch any of his films and get a sense of the time period: the way kids dressed, the music they listened to and the issues they were dealing with. Hughes had his finger on the pulse of that generation and was able to create stories that connected with their audience After watching the film “Love, Simon” I immediately thought this movie is of this time and will be a film that future generations come back to to remember this era: the characters are relevant, the music is relevant and the issues are relevant. Director Greg Berlanti took the Hughes format and brought it to a modern audience and every aspect of what he was going for worked. I get the sense that we are watching a Hughes classic but it feel fresh and new. Watching this film was the best movie going experience I have had in 2018. I was into this film and was rooting for its main character.
Nick Robinson (Jurassic World, Kings of Summer) plays Simon, a closeted gay teenager, who lets us know he is just like any other teenage boy his age but he has one huge secret. Not to spill it for him but Simon is gay. He is not sure how to come out. He says apart of him still wants to hold on to who he has always been. He likes his life. He has a great family with loving supportive parents, a sister who loves Top Chef and is always whipping up new dishes for the family and he has a great group of close friends. After he comes out things will just be different and he is just not ready for that. He is not worried about his family not supporting him or his friends rejecting him he just isn’t ready for the change. His world will just be different. It is not until an anonymous student who calls himself Blue comes out on the high school’s gossip site that Simon finds someone who understands what he is going through. Simon and Blue began a relationship under anonymity and encourage one another though their process.
I really enjoyed how this film portrayed the character of Simon. He has a great life and he isn’t scared of being gay. He just isn’t ready for a huge change in his life. He is already dealing with all the issues that come along with being a teenager. The movie is a teen comedy, it is light and fun. We have plenty of art house films about a gay teen coming of age in a harsh world with unloving parents and a judgmental society. This is not that movie. This film touches on the issues but it does it in a way that just feels kinder and more accepting. Through out the film we are rooting for Simon to find out who Blue is and connect with his crush. It is a modern love story. Instead of the geek getting the prom queen, or the awkward girl getting the high school stud: we have a closeted gay teen finding his crush. He is the underdog we are rooting for. It is the time we are in. It is the evolution of humanity and it is a story we can all relate to. This a great film and was enjoyable from beginning to end.
