Love, Simon - movie review

Love, Simon

Plot: Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends, and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
Cast: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel
Director: Greg Berlanti
Certificate: 12A (moderate sex references, infrequent strong language)
Runtime: 1hr 50 mins
Release Date: Friday 6th April 2018

High school can be such a barrage of emotions. You're going through various important stages in your life as you discover who you are and who you're destined to become. It's a journey into adolescence and recently, Hollywood have done an excellent job in depicting this complexity. Love, Simon is yet another home-run in this sub-genre and is a smash-hit for the LGBT community. Love, Simon is not just a film that I recommend but one that I think all NEED to see.

Dude, try cheating from the person next to you rather than across the classroom.

Love, Simon follows the plucky and energetic soul of Simon Spier as he navigates a typical high school life. He's a fresh-faced, modern teenager that goes with his friends to drink iced coffee, has pop culture quotes chalked onto his bedroom walls and enjoys participating in drama club. However, he's keeping a huge secret locked away; he's gay. We seem him awkwardly flirt with a leafblower across the street and adamantly explain that he loves all women when his sexuality is questioned but when an anonymous post is shared online about someone in Simon's school going through a similar situation, Simon begins a discovery to find this mysterious user and find the courage to reveal himself to his closest friends and family. Greg Berlanti directs the film having previous experience as the showrunner for many of The CW superhero shows (Arrow, The Flash). One of the strongest aspects of those shows are not just the thrilling effects nor the action but the interpersonal relations that make the characters so relatable. That's the most striking part to Love, Simon. In the opening few scenes where Simon is interacting with his friends and family, we see how close they all are. The dialogue feels natural and realistic rather than other high school teen dramas that were written by someone who clearly has no idea how teenagers talk or act. The depiction of his high school life felt authentic and often hilarious thanks to the coolest drama teacher ever (Natasha Rothwell). Simon and his friends go to parties, get drunk, make fools of themselves. It's one of the most authentic portrayals of teenage life ever made. But what makes Love, Simon particularly impressive is the manner in which it deals with Simon's sexuality. His secret is integral to the plot and certain obstacles he comes across that threaten to unwillingly out him to everyone is when the tension lies but whereas some films make the prospect of being gay a huge deal and swamp the movie with a grandiose LGBT message, Love, Simon does the opposite and makes Simon's situation as normal as possible. This is the perfect example of fair and equal representation. Love, Simon is a high school teen drama with a lead protagonist that just so happens to be gay. Relationships and love are normalised rather than heightened for the sake of dramatic purposes. It's a giant step for representation and the effect it's had is amazing. After looking online, there are a lot of people who have seen Simon's story unfold and have gained the confidence to come out to their family. If that doesn't show how powerful this movie is, I don't know what will.

When Fortnite servers are down...

FACT: This was the first film produced by a major Hollywood studio to feature a gay teenage protagonist.

We are witnessing the birth of a star in the form of Nick Robinson. He made a fantastic debut in The Kings Of Summer and appeared in the blockbuster smash, Jurassic World, but it's Love, Simon where he's going to make a name for himself. Giving one of the most heartfelt and moving performances of the year, Robinson explores the emotional ups and downs of Simon and navigates expertly as he explores the depths of his character. As for his friendship group, they too give uplifting performances that go beyond stereotypical teen tropes. Katherine Langford, of 13 Reasons Why fame, is very sweet as Simon's closest friend although I wanted a little more from her. Alexandra Shipp puts her underwhelming performance in X-Men: Apocalypse aside and does a good job as one of the newest member to the central friendship group. Other notable appearances include Logan Miller as your classic high school douchebag with a clever, modern twist, and CW alum, Keiynan Lonsdale as the high school sports star. As for flaws, Love, Simon can't avoid all of the generic high school clichés. As it's striving for normality, many clichés such as friends backstabbing each other, revelations coming at the very last moment and arguments that you know will eventually be reconciled, Love, Simon does have a unhealthy reliance on these clichés. The adults in the film also have a propensity to outstay their welcome. Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel give strong, reliable performances as the parents and whilst they handle Simon's situation deftly, I was more interested in Simon's relationship with his friends. There's also a wacky principle played by Tony Hale who, in his first few scenes, provide the film with a lot of laughs. Unfortunately, he continues to appear to only provide jokes even in some devastating moments that would have been more effective if left alone.

They'd been laughing for half an hour and still hadn't ordered anything.

Love, Simon is such an important film and it needs to be seen by all (gay or straight). It's already proven to have a monumental impact upon the LGBT community and, if successful, will make it a common trend in Hollywood films. Berlanti doesn't beat you over the head with its themes and instead, focuses on the normality. Nick Robinson deserves as much acclaim as possible and the portrayal of teen life feels as authentic as possible.

My Verdict: 8.5/10

What did you think of Love, Simon? What is your favourite LBGT movie? Sound off in the comments below.

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