Love, Simon movie review
Love, Simon is a coming of age rom-com drama. It is a terrific production that delves deeper than the teen angst it holds within it. The script is witty and well-written; the actors portray their roles incredibly and the whole film is rather enjoyable.
Although it does begin a little slowly, it doesn’t take long for the storyline to take over and the real issues to shine through. The main challenge throughout the movie are those that teenagers face when it comes to love and friendship. Moreover, we see how being a closeted homosexual can take its toll on a person and lead to deception.
Warning: Some spoilers ahead.
Love, Simon follows the story of 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) who is just like any ordinary teenager. He counts down the days until graduation, has a great group of friends, deals with slightly embarrassing parents (Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner) and faces challenges when it comes to love. But Simon has a huge secret that he has kept private- he’s gay. Until he comes across a post on his school’s social network site, written by an anonymous writer Blue, who writes about being gay. Simon reaches out to Blue and they start to from a safe haven online where they can discuss their issues on coming out privately. Neither Blue nor Simon knows who the other is as Simon uses a pseudonym ‘Jacques’.
Simon’s emails are discovered by fellow student Martin after he uses the library computer that Simon was using. Martin starts to blackmail Simon, saying that if Simon didn’t help him out with winning over the new girl Abby, he would leak the photos.
The movie follows the emails between Jacques and Blue, as we learn of 3 possible people that Blue could be. But of course, we don’t actually find out until the end.
Eventually, Martin asks Abby out in a very public way- at a homecoming football game. Of course, she rejects him which makes Martin angry. He leaks Simon’s emails on Christmas day, upsetting and angering Simon. This, however, encourages Simon to come out to his parents who are rather accepting of their son’s sexual orientation.
Once Simon returns to school, he is taunted by other students and rejected by his friends. He is rejected because of acts that he did to hide his secret, leaving them feeling hurt. Simon then posts a confession on the school’s social channel which dramatically changes the bullying he has received. It seems that almost overnight, Simon becomes accepted by the whole school. But will Blue reach out to Simon again? Will Simon learn Blue’s real identity? Of course I am not going to disclose that.
Love, Simon poses some questions to the audience about homosexuality. Like, why do gay teens have to come out to their parents, but straight kids don’t? It just doesn’t seem fair does it? This actually creates quite a funny moment in the film when different characters are shown telling their parents that they are straight. The reactions are hilarious. But I think this moment is making an important point- that there shouldn’t be pressure on people to come out with whatever their sexual orientation is. It should be the same for everyone. But in, at times, this backwards society, equality can be tough to achieve.
This leads to another challenge outlined in the movie- acceptance. We all know how tough school can be at times. But it can be even worse if you are part of a minority group. So when Simon comes out as gay, we see kids taunt him and try to make him feel like a lesser person. I think that way Simon reacts to this, by showing that he is the bigger person, is something positive for any person watching it who may feel belittled or bullied. It sends a positive message to teens that being yourself and not lying about it will make you the better person in the end. And it paid off because Simon became well liked by his fellow pupils by standing up for himself.
The last important highlight in the film is that by hiding something from those who care about you, cam push them away. We see this with Simon and his friendships. Simon has a falling out with Leah, his bestfriend of 13 years, after he tries to hook her up with their friend Nick. But Leah reveals some big feelings towards Simon which makes her resent him because she felt he wasn’t truthful like a best friend should be. It also affects Simon’s friendship with both Abby and Nick. Abby and Nick both had feelings towards each other but Simon’s meddling for fear of being outed by Martin, kept the two apart. When they find out the truth, the end up upset with Simon. This leaves Simon feeling hurt, rejected and lonely when he needs his friends the most. But it does teach him a lesson- that being truthful and true to yourself will hopefully protect your friendships and relationships. So many people try to be someone they aren’t and if it all unravels, can be disastrous. This is why I think this is an important issue highlighted in the film.
Overall, Love, Simon was very enjoyable and a movie that all teens and young people should watch. It has powerful messages that need to be addressed and feels very real. The cinematography is excellent, the storyline is interesting and the young actors were very presentable. It is bound to become a cult classic of this decade.
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I highly recommend that you do. It does not disappoint.
4.5/5
Although it does begin a little slowly, it doesn’t take long for the storyline to take over and the real issues to shine through. The main challenge throughout the movie are those that teenagers face when it comes to love and friendship. Moreover, we see how being a closeted homosexual can take its toll on a person and lead to deception.
Warning: Some spoilers ahead.
Love, Simon follows the story of 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) who is just like any ordinary teenager. He counts down the days until graduation, has a great group of friends, deals with slightly embarrassing parents (Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner) and faces challenges when it comes to love. But Simon has a huge secret that he has kept private- he’s gay. Until he comes across a post on his school’s social network site, written by an anonymous writer Blue, who writes about being gay. Simon reaches out to Blue and they start to from a safe haven online where they can discuss their issues on coming out privately. Neither Blue nor Simon knows who the other is as Simon uses a pseudonym ‘Jacques’.
Simon’s emails are discovered by fellow student Martin after he uses the library computer that Simon was using. Martin starts to blackmail Simon, saying that if Simon didn’t help him out with winning over the new girl Abby, he would leak the photos.
The movie follows the emails between Jacques and Blue, as we learn of 3 possible people that Blue could be. But of course, we don’t actually find out until the end.
Eventually, Martin asks Abby out in a very public way- at a homecoming football game. Of course, she rejects him which makes Martin angry. He leaks Simon’s emails on Christmas day, upsetting and angering Simon. This, however, encourages Simon to come out to his parents who are rather accepting of their son’s sexual orientation.
Once Simon returns to school, he is taunted by other students and rejected by his friends. He is rejected because of acts that he did to hide his secret, leaving them feeling hurt. Simon then posts a confession on the school’s social channel which dramatically changes the bullying he has received. It seems that almost overnight, Simon becomes accepted by the whole school. But will Blue reach out to Simon again? Will Simon learn Blue’s real identity? Of course I am not going to disclose that.
Love, Simon poses some questions to the audience about homosexuality. Like, why do gay teens have to come out to their parents, but straight kids don’t? It just doesn’t seem fair does it? This actually creates quite a funny moment in the film when different characters are shown telling their parents that they are straight. The reactions are hilarious. But I think this moment is making an important point- that there shouldn’t be pressure on people to come out with whatever their sexual orientation is. It should be the same for everyone. But in, at times, this backwards society, equality can be tough to achieve.
This leads to another challenge outlined in the movie- acceptance. We all know how tough school can be at times. But it can be even worse if you are part of a minority group. So when Simon comes out as gay, we see kids taunt him and try to make him feel like a lesser person. I think that way Simon reacts to this, by showing that he is the bigger person, is something positive for any person watching it who may feel belittled or bullied. It sends a positive message to teens that being yourself and not lying about it will make you the better person in the end. And it paid off because Simon became well liked by his fellow pupils by standing up for himself.
The last important highlight in the film is that by hiding something from those who care about you, cam push them away. We see this with Simon and his friendships. Simon has a falling out with Leah, his bestfriend of 13 years, after he tries to hook her up with their friend Nick. But Leah reveals some big feelings towards Simon which makes her resent him because she felt he wasn’t truthful like a best friend should be. It also affects Simon’s friendship with both Abby and Nick. Abby and Nick both had feelings towards each other but Simon’s meddling for fear of being outed by Martin, kept the two apart. When they find out the truth, the end up upset with Simon. This leaves Simon feeling hurt, rejected and lonely when he needs his friends the most. But it does teach him a lesson- that being truthful and true to yourself will hopefully protect your friendships and relationships. So many people try to be someone they aren’t and if it all unravels, can be disastrous. This is why I think this is an important issue highlighted in the film.
Overall, Love, Simon was very enjoyable and a movie that all teens and young people should watch. It has powerful messages that need to be addressed and feels very real. The cinematography is excellent, the storyline is interesting and the young actors were very presentable. It is bound to become a cult classic of this decade.
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I highly recommend that you do. It does not disappoint.
4.5/5
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