Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Love, Simon is a refreshing coming-of-age dramedy starring Nick Robinson as Simon Spier, a high school senior who has a, quote-unquote, “huge ass secret”: Nobody knows that he’s gay (and he intends to keep it that way).
I’ve seen a countless amount of teen romantic comedies, and I’m sure we can all agree that we’re a little bit sick of it. But you need to give Love, Simon a chance! The film is a mere glimpse of the promising future for the LGBTQ+ community in major-studio films. Finally, we have a groundbreaking film where the lead character is gay! It’s about time, people!
Simon chooses to remain in the “closet” simply because he’s afraid of ridicule. His father, (Josh Duhamel), casually laughs about men being “fruity”, and an openly gay teen, Ethan, (Clark Moore) is subject to constant bullying throughout the film. Life gets kinda more complicated, though, when the modern-day romance begins.
A boy known by his pseudonym, “Blue”, enters Simon’s life when he posts an online confession to the high school body about his sexuality. Throughout the film, Blue and Simon (who dubs his name online as “Jacques”) exchange emails and talk about their struggles as closeted teens. However, while their relationship blossoms, their emails are unfortunately seen by a kid named Martin, (Logan Miller). Martin is desperate to be in a relationship with one of Simon’s closest friends, so he uses the emails as blackmail.
Life gets even more complicated, and downright hellish, when Simon’s sexuality is revealed by Martin. This is when Simon starts to lose his closest friends, and even Blue. When I saw Simon’s life start to crumble, this is when I realized it’s not like your typical teenage romantic comedy. It’s heart-wrenching to see Simon’s internal struggle with his identity, and how the loneliness tears him apart. While Nick Robinson’s performance definitely shined throughout this film, so did his mother’s (Jennifer Garner). They have a heartfelt conversation after his sexuality is revealed online. It’s definitely one of the best moments in the movie because of the raw emotion.
Don’t worry, though, because Love, Simon does deliver the cheesy, romantic ending that Simon deserves. After all this time, Blue’s identity is finally revealed! After fantasizing throughout the entire film as to who Blue could be, Simon learns Blue was, in fact, one of his own friends. (Spoiler! It’s Bram, played by Keinyan Lonsdale!) They even share a kiss! If anything, you need to see Love, Simon for the ending. It’s adorable, it’s cheesy, and most of all, it’s a happy, feel-good ending.
Throughout Simon and Blue’s struggle, we’re reminded to love ourselves for who we are, and that is why I think this film will go down as absolutely one of my favorites.