Worth (a scene-stealing Tony Hale) is on his side. Simon has the “perfect” life, with loving parents and close friends creating a great supporting system around him. There will likely be a lot of criticism of this movie for only showing the mostly positive gay experience of a kid who really has nothing to worry about. As he battles his inner turmoil at falling to Martin’s demands, and his desperate hunt to uncover the man he’s falling in love with, Simon’s road to coming out is quickly spiralling out of his control. And, unsurprisingly, a rather modern romance begins to form, causing Simon to frantically attempt to determine which of his classmates may be his new online flame.īut when an insecure and loathsome classmate Martin (Logan Miller) stumbles upon Simon and Blue’s email conversations, he uses the secret relationship to blackmail Simon into helping him garner the attention of Abby, who naturally can’t stand the sight of him. The two quickly form a connection, sharing their similar frustrations, fears, and desires. Inspired by Blue’s daring post, and desperate to find a sense of solidarity with someone who can empathise with his situation, Simon crafts his own secret identity as “Jacques,” and reaches out to Blue via email. Simon’s life is flipped upside down when a fellow closeted gay schoolmate writes an anonymous blog post, under the pseudonym “Blue,” revealing his own struggles with coming to terms with his sexuality. Despite the closeness of his family, Simon is keeping “one huge-ass secret” from them – he’s gay.Įqually unknowing of Simon’s big secret are his three closest friends – childhood best friend Leah (a sadly underused Katherine Langford), sports enthusiast Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), and the new girl with a fractured home life Abby (Alexandra Shipp). And his younger sister, Nora (Talitha Bateman) is a wannabe culinary master. His man’s man father, Jack (Josh Duhamel) is a sweet-natured, but rather dopey dad, who, in typical jock fashion, isn’t opposed to the occasional homophobic joke. His therapist mother, Emily (Jennifer Garner, again showing her flair for these maternal roles) is a typical doting mom. Sure, with its light touch and saccharinely-sweet outlook, it may not have the impact of Call Me by Your Name or Brokeback Mountain, but just the fact this film exists in the first place is something we need to celebrate, even if the end result is a little too safe.ġ7-year-old Simon Spier (a wonderful Nick Robinson) is “just like you.” That is if you have a loving, nuclear family, a beautiful home, and a great set of friends. That in itself makes Love, Simon a triumph. But never before has a major studio released a romantic teen comedy focusing on a gay protagonist and his struggles with coming out. Just last year, we were dazzled by gay-themed gems like Call Me by Your Name, BPM (Beats Per Minute), and God’s Own Country. Independent and foreign cinema has been tackling gay subjects for decades. Not necessarily with its narrative, the way it’s told, or what it has to say.
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