STARS: 4/5
“Love, Simon” is the film we didn’t know we needed but is way past due. It’s a new take on the coming-of-age story. The world is changing and it makes sense that teen films are changing along with it. For one of the first times ever, the main character in the film is a closeted gay teenage boy just looking for a way to live his life to the fullest.
Nick Robinson plays the main character Simon alongside actors Katherine Langford, Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner. Simon is a 17-year-old boy who has tried to live his life just like everyone else, but a secret has held him back: he’s gay. He hasn’t told anyone else and when he finds out that another boy, who goes by the name Blue, is going through the same thing that he is, he finds comfort in knowing that he isn’t as alone as he first thought.
Simon and Blue connect through the emails they send back and forth to one another but neither of them know the true identity of the other. Simon signs each of his emails as “Jaques” to keep his true identity anonymous. Throughout the film, the emails that Simon receives from Blue are read by different characters Simon thinks is Blue. That is one of the best things about the film. You are kept in the dark about the identity of Blue and just like Simon, you are trying to put together the little bit of information that Blue offers to him to figure out who he is.
The film is based off on the book “Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda” “Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda” that was released in 2015. The few people who read the book prior to the movie know the ending and the identity of Blue because that isn’t changed in the film. Those few will still be shocked by some of the plot points in the film. They stuck true to the story but added in a few things that kept the people who had read the book on their toes.
Simon’s big coming out scene is not as big as you would expect in a film centered around a closeted teenager in high school. The scenes that make the movie are the conversations he has with his loved ones. They’re so packed with emotion that you can’t help but feel every word. What’s said is not just about being gay it’s about being true to who you are and knowing what you deserve. We all deserve to be happy and to live our very best lives no matter the circumstance, and it takes Simon time to realize that. But, when he does, it changes everything.
“Love, Simon” is an entertaining and emotional film that will have you crying, laughing and sometimes cringing – just like life. Simon says the words “I’m just like you” numerous times throughout the film, and the entire premise pays homage to that. The film shows all the ways he is just like everyone else, which allows people to connect with him and feel what he feels.
The story will catch you by surprise because of its sincerity and authenticity. “Love, Simon” is more than worth its hour-and-50-minute run time. It gets harder to watch as the story comes to a close because everything that could go wrong does but if you push through, you won’t be disappointed. You’ll leave the film with a smile on your face and tears in your eyes.
