Love, Simon is a movie starring Nick Robinson that follows a closeted gay teen, Simon, on his journey towards coming out during high school. Simon’s best friends include two people of color (portrayed by Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Alexandra Shipp); something rather uncommon, especially because they are just his friends. While they are secondary characters from what can be discerned in the trailer, they are portrayed as such normal secondary characters, something that people of color are rarely portrayed as. They are just his friends; no devastating backstory or hidden agendas. The representation of people of color as people undefined by the color of their skin, rather by the friendships they build and maintain, is a breath of fresh air.
Love, Simon normalizes being gay in such an impactful way during just its trailer. Within the two-minute trailer, Love, Simon establishes Simon as the primary character. Simon’s best friend is a straight white girl, portrayed by Katherine Langford, but instead of making Simon the “gay best friend” as movies so often do, Simon is the main character and his best friend is just a support system. This introduction of a gay character as the unadulterated main character, not the quirky sidekick, is SO refreshing. It is wildly important for gay individuals, closeted or not, to see themselves in the forefront of stories, not on the sidelines.
Love, Simon is sure to be a breath of fresh air that shatters many movie stereotypes and brings people that oftentimes don’t get the spotlight to the forefront. It is sure to give the audience all of the rom-com feels with none of the stereotyped BS. Love, Simon is the rom-com we have never seen, but that we’ve been waiting for all of our lives.