Movie Review: "Love, Simon" Is Entertaining, Thoughtful, Warm and Important

Love, Simon doesn’t step outside the shadow of its predecessors, but its negotiation of tougher, under-explored themes makes this one to see.

Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a closeted 17-year-old, is secretly emailing another closeted boy at his school (known pseudonymously as 'Blue'). When his emails are discovered by the irritatingly cringy Martin (Logan Miller), Simon is blackmailed into setting Martin up with his friend Abby (Alexandra Shipp), otherwise his emails will be leaked to the school.

(The supporting cast includes Katherine Langford and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Simon’s other friends, as well as Tony Hale as a constantly 'on' vice principal, and Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel as Simon's parents.)

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Greg Berlanti directs with a certain verve that maintains our interest, adding some nicely executed montages (one of which is a truly hilarious musical number with brilliant sight gags). While it becomes clear he is operating strictly inside lines set out by other generic coming-of-age movies, the usage of a familiar formula to tell this unique story is what makes Love, Simon so commendable.

The portrayal of the daily shame of being closeted, and its dealing with the fear of the fallout after being outed, is raw and heartbreakingly real. Grandiose and trite though it sounds, this film—a studio production with a gay lead character aimed at teens—really is quite important. Its positive impact on teenagers experiencing a life like Simon’s cannot be overstated.

Which is why one (mildly spoilery) plot thread carried over from the book is so disheartening due to how dangerous it is, essentially suggesting Simon's fear of being outed should have been secondary to his friends' feelings, which is hard to forgive. They had reason to be hurt, but their failure—or rather, refusal—to understand Simon’s reasoning is a concerning and, frankly, cruel plot progression. (End of spoilers.)

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Ending on an unabashedly sweet note, this film, as the title suggests, is difficult to hate. Teens will eat it up, and adults can find a lot to like too, providing an empathetic insight into a person they once were, once knew, or into a person whose experience they otherwise had no understanding of.

Love, Simon doesn't transcend, but it doesn’t want to, or need to. It breaks the formula by hewing so close to the formula. It’s entertaining, thoughtful, warm, and, yes, important.

3.5/5

Love, Simon is now in Australian cinemas. Rated M for coarse language.

Congratulations to Kyle for winning this week's writing challenge: Review "Love, Simon". Kyle wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Competitions section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge.

Photo: Fox