The movie "Love, Simon", like the book, excels most at the authentic portrayal of an average gay teen trying to come to terms with his sexuality. It seems like there's a new wave of gay movies coming along in which it is no longer about the abuse one gets from others for being gay, but rather the struggles that go along with discovering and expressing your sexuality, even if you know that your family and friends are going to be completely fine with it. Rather than the fear of hate, the fear of change is already a very powerful repellent against coming out. It's the reason I have waited to well past my teens to do it myself, and even now I'm still not very public about it.
So the message and overall tone of the movie and book is something that speaks to me very well. The actors all did a great job, and the movie was quirky and genuinely funny at times, and completely denounced of any cynicism. Some of the scenes at the end also struck an emotional cord with me, particularly the interactions between Simon and his parents. While they weren't as poetic as "Call Me By Your Name"'s ending speech, they were a lot more grounded and authentic and as equally welcome for any gay kid.
That being said, I do believe both the book and the movie delve a little too deeply into candy-covered Hollywood cheesy sweetness. It checks all the regular teen dramedy boxes and while the gay angle is quite original and refreshing, not a whole lot else of the movie is. There's the usual teen romantic drama and tensions between friends , an excentric vice-principal, drama class, a sassy drama teacher, and a sickeningly sweet ending that is a little too over the top feel-good to actually feel very good. It lacks that little edge and rawness to give it a sense of realism, instead of feeling like a fictional book/Hollywood fabrication.
So although Love, Simon doesn't do anything to advance the genre of romantic teen dramedies, it is a welcome addition to (gay) cinema, if only for being a small mainstream hit that helps increase awareness and representation of your average gay person.
So the message and overall tone of the movie and book is something that speaks to me very well. The actors all did a great job, and the movie was quirky and genuinely funny at times, and completely denounced of any cynicism. Some of the scenes at the end also struck an emotional cord with me, particularly the interactions between Simon and his parents. While they weren't as poetic as "Call Me By Your Name"'s ending speech, they were a lot more grounded and authentic and as equally welcome for any gay kid.
That being said, I do believe both the book and the movie delve a little too deeply into candy-covered Hollywood cheesy sweetness. It checks all the regular teen dramedy boxes and while the gay angle is quite original and refreshing, not a whole lot else of the movie is. There's the usual teen romantic drama and tensions between friends , an excentric vice-principal, drama class, a sassy drama teacher, and a sickeningly sweet ending that is a little too over the top feel-good to actually feel very good. It lacks that little edge and rawness to give it a sense of realism, instead of feeling like a fictional book/Hollywood fabrication.
So although Love, Simon doesn't do anything to advance the genre of romantic teen dramedies, it is a welcome addition to (gay) cinema, if only for being a small mainstream hit that helps increase awareness and representation of your average gay person.