Movie Review: Love, Simon (2018)

I will try to avoid spoilers that are not in the trailer. See the official trailer at the end of this post.

This film is a sweet and wonderful story about a closeted gay teenager who is trying to find acceptance in a society that assumes heterosexuality to be the default. For too long, every teen comedy seems to also belong to this hetero-normative default point of view. A woman might have a gay friend, sure, but it's still her story about finding the right guy. The central point of this film is that the gay friend deserves a love story too. Simon knows he's gay but he has so far kept it a secret from everybody around him. Another student at the school makes an anonymous online post about being secretly gay on a school message board. The gossip consumes the school. Simon reaches out to him and falls in love with this mystery person. Solving the mystery drives the film's plot.

Alright, I really really enjoyed this movie. That said, there were two issues I had with the film:

1. It plays things really safe, trying to reach a family audience.
2. It's about 10 years too late.

Maybe an LGBTQ+ version of American Pie isn't going to be released to theaters anytime soon, but this film seems to go to great lengths to maintain a PG-13 rating. It really feels more like a PG film. Being gay in this film just means kissing someone of the same sex. Yes there's attraction but nobody seems to have much sex in the film. It just felt a little unrealistic. But I get that the producers want this to reach a mainstream audience and show that being gay and coming out should just be a normal part of life. I just think that somewhere down the line there could be a version of this where people don't have to be so innocent about their sexuality.

As for the timing, this movie really should have come out a decade ago. Are there really non-bible belt schools today where there is only one out gay kid, and apparently no lesbians or transgender individuals? While it evokes a bit of a scandal, most of the kids are quickly accepting of their gay peers. The adults in the film are nervous but supportive. Teachers are quick to punish homophobic bullying behavior. So it just seems this school should have more kids who are already out.

Despite these two criticisms, I still highly recommend the film. I hope it does well, but I think a better movie can also come along soon where we can show more realistic relationships and a student body that already has other out LGBTQ+ students. I give it 4/5 stars.