Love, Simon

photo courtesy of foxmovies.com

LIGHT SPOILERS

     Love, Simon is the cinematic adaptation of Becky Albertalli’s book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The last two years have seen Hollywood take strides in diversifying its lineup, so it’s not surprising that Love, Simon, which is the first major movie by a major studio to explicitly focus on a gay romance, is grabbing headlines. Equal parts high school dramedy, coming-of-age-story, and coming-out story, it’s being acknowledged as an important moment for representation. But even apart from its significance as a cultural landmark, Love, Simon deserves the attention; charming, funny, and heartwarming, it puts a welcome spin on teenage drama.

     Love, Simon tells the story of Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), who’s navigating all the normal stresses of high school life—with the added pressure of being the only person who knows he’s gay. Things are going okay for a while: Simon has a supportive family (Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel), hangs out with a close group of friends (Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), and connects with another closeted gay teenager at his school via an anonymous email account. But things take a change for the worse when the school’s resident misfit (Logan Miller) discovers the emails and threatens to expose Simon’s secret to the world.

photo courtesy of npr.com

     In some respects, Love, Simon is pretty unremarkable. Ever since director John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles) set the tone for teen drama films back in the 80s, there’s a certain amount of cliché that usually accompanies any teen-focused movie: you’ve got the overexaggerated cliques, everyone’s way cooler than anyone actually is in high school, the teachers and administrators are wacky, overinvolved weirdos, etc. And while Love, Simon isn’t particularly preoccupied with any of those formulaic pieces, it certainly doesn’t shy away from them, either.

     Yet despite those similarities, Love, Simon feels refreshingly different. It’s partly due, of course, to the fact that the movie operates from the perspective of a gay teenager, so that even when the movie recycles plot points or exhibits the teen movie genre’s worst tendencies, it presents them through a new and unique lens. It’s also due, however, to the fact that Love, Simon is just a solid teen movie, period—something that hasn’t been seen for a while in Hollywood. With strong performances, funny dialogue, a sleek soundtrack, and a decent grasp of contemporary teen culture, it’s in a position to become a new high school classic.

photo courtesy of variety.com

     And most importantly, Love, Simon has a heart. Unlike a good many teen movies that come and go, Love, Simon appreciates and depicts the emotional complexity of its main character and the challenges in front of him. It’s an unexpectedly poignant movie in places, as when Simon opens up to his parents or when he shuts out the people closest to him. The success of those scenes stems both from the actors (Nick Robinson and Jennifer Garner give great performances) and honest, emotionally resonant dialogue. They also work because Simon is a real, flawed character. His coming out is inevitably complicated, but it’s complicated partly because of decisions and mistakes he made along the way. Just like everyone else, he’s capable of making selfish choices, and just like everyone else, he sometimes can’t see beyond himself. Those flaws help the audience root for him, instead of just observe him pityingly from a distance. His character arc might not be the most unpredictable of all time, but it keeps Love, Simon anchored and human in crucial moments.

     FINAL VERDICT: Sharp dialogue, a splash of humor, and a candid, meaningful story help elevate Love, Simon above your run-of-the-mill high school drama.  

Watch the trailer here.

photo courtesy of slashfilm.com