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Love, Simon gives us a refreshing take on coming-of- age films, with a story that explores a teenage gay romance and the struggle of coming out. Its touching and heartwarming story, along with fantastic performances from the cast, is set to earn its place as a future classic for the genre.
Based on the young adult novel by Becky Albertalli, the story follows Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a teenage boy who is a closeted gay, a fact that he has known for a while but keeps it a secret from those around him.
Although he has a loving and supportive family and a close-knit group of friends, Simon fears that his life wouldn’t be normal again, once he comes out to them.
His world starts to change after he reads an online post on the school’s gossip blog, that is written by a classmate under a pseudonym ‘Blue’, who talks about being a closeted gay and struggling to come out.
Simon reaches out to ‘Blue’, confiding in him about his own feelings about being closeted and his fear of coming out, and soon enough, the pair form a romantic connection.
However things aren’t set to go smoothly, when a fellow classmate named Martin (Logan Miller) accidentally discovers Simon’s e-mail exchanges with ‘Blue’ and screenshots them. He then blackmails Simon into getting a date with his friend Abby, in exchange for not leaking his emails.
Simon soons finds himself going out of his way to prevent his secret from being outed before he is ready, as well as trying to work out which of his classmates is the mysterious ‘Blue’.
There are not many coming-of- age films that are told from a gay teen’s point of view, particularly mainstream films, which made it all the more refreshing to see this type of story be told.
It is one of the few films of this decade that really captures the essence of John Hughes’ teen films, that treats its audience and subject matter with respect and doesn’t shy away from its struggles.
The film explores the many themes that are seen in many coming-of- age films such as friendships, romance and getting through high school, capturing the feelings of teenage angst.
It also provides us with some really sweet moments, especially from Simon and his friends. From having fun together at a party to having meaningful conversations about their feelings, each scene leaves you feeling touched and uplifted.
It treats the topic of sexuality and coming out with such care, and understands that just because someone has accepted their sexuality, it doesn’t mean that they will find it easy to come out.
The writing and performances from the cast creates such an honest and emotional feeling, that really engages you into the story and how these characters are feeling in a scene.
You really get to know Simon on his journey, which helps us to relate to what he is going through. We see that on the outside things look good for him and he seems happy and well- adjusted, yet he feels lost and repressed on the inside, making you empathize with his struggles.
The subplot involving Martin proved to be a mixed bag of results. He’s seems to be a comic relief type character as the oddball who desperately tries to be romantic, but his actions come off as obnoxious and annoying especially seeing how he manipulates Simon throughout the film.
Despite his characters faults, he does have some pretty funny scenes and does show to try and redeem himself towards the end of the film.
Nick Robinson delivers an emotional and heartfelt performance as Simon, portraying him as a likeable and relatable character, as he helps you to understand the struggles he is going through.
You feel his pain and isolation over him wanting to come out but trying the courage to do so, and how he agonizes over the decisions he makes to stop his secret from being outed before he is ready.
The cast who play Simon’s friends all deliver equally fantastic performances, who all display a genuine and heartfelt chemistry with each other, that makes you enjoy watching them interact with each other and having fun.
Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner also provide excellent performances as Simon’s parents, who are loving and supportive towards their children and provide some really sweet moments.
One scene in particular that stood out was the conversation between Simon and his mother towards the end of the film, which was such a moving and heartfelt moment, and really showcased the unconditional love and support between a parent and child.
Love, Simon is a well-acted and heartfelt story that will leaving you feeling uplifted.
Purple Revolver rating: 4.5/5- A sweet romance