Love, Simon

Love, Simon

Starring Nick Robinson, Logan Miller, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel

Directed by Greg Berlanti

The Story:
Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) is a typical teenager just like you: he has a younger sister who he loves, supportive parents (Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel), and three best friends Leah (Katherine Langford), Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), and Abby (Alexandra Shipp).  He's a senior about to graduate high school, and he has one big secret - he's gay.

He doesn't feel like his friends or family will shun him if he comes out, but he's worried about how it could change everything for him, so he remains hidden, until a fellow student with an online screen name Blue announces on a blog that he's also a closeted gay teen, and the two begin communicating through e-mail and anonymous pseudonyms.  As they spend time communicating, Simon begins developing feelings for Blue, and wants to protect his secret at any cost.

When he accidentally leaves his e-mail on the school computer, it's found by Martin (Logan Miller), who blackmails Simon into keeping his secret in return for getting with Simon's friend Abby.  Simon feels an obligation to Blue - as well as himself - to do what Martin says and tries to bring the two together, but learns that there's more dangerous things than coming out.

The Synopsis:
Why is straight the default?

That question is posed by our young protagonist, Simon Spier, as he struggles with coming out as gay.  What follows is the funniest part of the film, where he imagines teens coming out to their parents as "straight," leading to gut-busting laughter.  Yet for some, this is no laughing matter.  There's millions of gay teenagers out there who are still hiding who they really are for various reasons - fear of acceptance, worry about how their parents would react, anxiety about how their whole world could change - which unfortunately leads to disastrous consequences.  Studies show that LGBT youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth, and it's because this added weight on their shoulders.  Until recently, if you came out as gay, it was met with extreme scorn, scrutiny, abandonment, ridicule, and shunning - and unfortunately it still exists today, but not to the extent it used to be.

When Ellen DeGeneres came out on her hit comedy show in 1997, it was a national ordeal.  Sponsors backed out of her show, she received countless death threats, and possible cancellation of her show.  Yet she pushed through, and was a pioneering voice for the LGBT then, and remains so today.  Still, when it comes to the movies, the typical gay character is your traditional fare - the humorous flamboyant best friend.  There hasn't been a true representation of what youth go through in coming out in cinemas, until "Love, Simon" - the first film produced by a major Hollywood studio to feature a gay teenage protagonist.  Much like Ellen will go down for being the first actress to come out on television, "Love, Simon" will go down as the first gay rom-com, and thankfully it's a stroke of pure genius.

Nick Robinson plays Simon, a young man who seems straight on the surface, but it's only because he's harbored his secret for so long.  He's not the flamboyant representation, but a kid who looks and acts like everyone else - he even mentions that in the opening monologue.  Robinson is a tour-de-force here, perfectly portraying Simon as the nicest guy possible, but also someone who's deeply flawed and highly fearful.  You can't help but get involved with his character, as he traverses the rough world he's imagined himself to be in, struggling with his identity and always fearful that others will find his secret.

When he encounters Blue online, Simon starts the conversation with simple platitudes, but as they exchange more e-mails and get more personal, Simon begins feeling love for Blue, despite not even knowing who he is.  It's this love that causes him to do some pretty mean things in order to protect both their identities, including pairing up a good friend with a total loser.  Martin, that loser - played by Logan Miller - blackmails Simon into hooking him up with Simon's friend, and even he doesn't seem to do it out of sheer evil, but desperation. Martin is terrible in social situations, and he needs Simon to help him be more confident, to Simon's total dismay.  But he has to keep Blue's identity a secret, along with his own, so he does what Martin asks of him.

What makes the film sort of dangerous is how amazing Simon's life is.  His parents are completely understanding and accepting, his friends are the ones who wouldn't seem to mind if he came out to them, and the film could prove a fantasy dream for real life teens who are struggling with coming out, thinking everyone will accept it without a second thought.  Here is where the film's main detraction comes from - it's all too simple, too clean cut, and too accepting.  Yes, there are struggles that Simon faces, but they seem to come to a quick resolution with no repercussions.  While this may be the case for some teens coming out, others will probably face more adversity, and could sink into a deeper depression.  Yet they should stay true to themselves, which is what "Love, Simon" does best - it gives you the courage to face the unknown and hopefully have a way to deal with the negativity that could occur.

While most romantic comedies are cut-and-dry and simple, "Love, Simon" is anything but that.  The identity of Blue is kept secret from the audience, as well as Simon.  Screenwriters Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger keep Blue's identity totally secret, while also leaving clues for us and Simon as to who it could be, with several different possibilities.  Yet, as these possible suitors keep falling by the wayside, we begin to feel the same depression Simon does, thinking he will never get his love story.  It's deep and thought-provoking, and keeps you attentively watching, waiting for the big reveal.

Apart from Nick Robinson's excellent performance, the remaining cast members also give their all.  As his best friends, Katherine Langford, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., and Alexandra Shipp play typical teenage roles, but they all also harbor secrets as big as Simon's, and prove that not all teenagers are vapid morons who eat Tide Pods and live on their phones.  These are characters I wish I was friends with growing up, and the three young actors give commanding performances.

As his parents, Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner also unleash their years of acting talent in the film.  Duhamel's Jack is a former football star in high school who also cries at the drop of a hat, and in a particular scene with Simon, will also have the audience weeping as well (I know I was).  Jennifer Garner electrifies the screen as Emily, and will also have you weeping in a particularly sentimental scene with Simon where she says, "It's almost like I could feel you holding your breath."  As audience members, we also held our breath as she continued her monologue, and when she ends with "you get to exhale," we all exhaled as well.

This is amazing filmmaking, one that tugs at your heart and grips it, refusing to let it go until the very end, when you realize the magnitude of what you just witnessed. 

The Summary:
More than just another romantic comedy, "Love, Simon" is a love letter for everyone who fears exposing themselves for who they really are, and shows that there is love and acceptance out there for all of us.

The Score: A+