“Everyone deserves a great love story.”
Love, Simon, based off of the best-selling young adult novel Simon v. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, follows 17 year-old Simon Spier as he navigates high school in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. He has a loving family, parents Emily and Jack and sister Nora, and three amazing best friends, Leah, Nick, and Abby. However, he has a huge secret that he’s never told anyone: he’s gay. When Simon’s secret and his chance to find love with fellow closeted classmate Blue - whom he has started a correspondence with online - is threatened, he must find a way to face everyone and accept his identity.
Going to the theater to watch this movie, I did not expect to cry, which of course I did. I expected it to be similar from the book, which I read beforehand and thoroughly enjoyed. Of course, as with all book-to-movie adaptations, the movie was quite different from its source material. However, I like the movie a bit better as it conveyed more emotions than its book counterpart and showed the relationships between the characters better by having them be more open to each other. It also had the right amount of humor and pop culture references that makes it relatable to many teenagers. However, the biggest thing that makes this movie different is its approach to the subject of sexuality and gender identity. Unlike movies before it, which often stereotyped gay characters in teen movies as the “GBF” or gay best friend, Love, Simon eliminates that stereotype and shows gay characters as normal high schoolers. The movie also does not shy away from depicting the internal and external struggles of LGBT people, and does so with great consideration.
Love, Simon, for me, is one of those rare movies that does everything correctly. The cast, especially Nick Robinson, who plays Simon, does an amazing job in his depiction of the character and his emotions. The fact that this is the first teen movie produced by a big movie company to feature a gay romance is awe-inspiring and a step in the right direction. I really hope that future movies that include or feature gay characters are able to take after Love, Simon. It is a movie that many members of the LGBT community will definitely relate to and will help them be inspired to face whatever obstacles may be in their way of love and happiness.
Love, Simon, for me, is one of those rare movies that does everything correctly. The cast, especially Nick Robinson, who plays Simon, does an amazing job in his depiction of the character and his emotions. The fact that this is the first teen movie produced by a big movie company to feature a gay romance is awe-inspiring and a step in the right direction. I really hope that future movies that include or feature gay characters are able to take after Love, Simon. It is a movie that many members of the LGBT community will definitely relate to and will help them be inspired to face whatever obstacles may be in their way of love and happiness.