A Heartwarming coming-of-age film.
I saw Love, Simon (Greg Berlanti, 2018) last Thursday (12/04/2018), and I absolutely adored it. I bawled at certain parts of the film, laughed at other parts, and felt myself feel sorry for characters I didn't think I would.
Love, Simon is the film adaptation of the novel Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, written by Becky Albertall. Simon (Nick Robinson) is sixteen and trying to figure out who he is and what he wants. When a student who goes by the name of Blue, announces on the school gossip page he is gay, Simon reaches out to them through email. When the emails fall into the wrong hand, Simon will do whatever it takes to keep them from surfacing. As he falls deeper in love with Blue, finding their identity is a big deal.
At its most basic level, Love, Simon is a coming-of-age love story. No one should be put off because it happens to be a gay love story rather than a heterosexual love story. Nor should anyone be put off because the friendship group happens to be multi-cultural.
For some people, this might be the first major motion picture film they watch where the protagonist is gay. It might be their first chance at seeing themselves represented on the big screen. It's incredible to see how far we've come in the past 20 years. We went from not having serious gay characters in TV and Film, to independent films and major motion pictures.
This film is all about seeing a boy fall in love, and the struggles some people go through to come out and accept their sexuality. A line from the book, which wasn't included in the film was:
"White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default."
Though this isn't explicitly said in the film, with the casting not being 100% white, or the "coming out" as straight in the trailer actually says it fairly well.
The Cast
Nick Robinson, known for roles such as Zach in Jurassic World and Ryder Scanlon in Melissa and Joey, plays Simon, in what he says will be his final high school film. In an interview with Ellen, he confirmed one of his brothers actually came out as gay during the filming of Love, Simon. As a heterosexual, playing a gay male, his portrayal of Simon is great. Because he doesn't go for over the top, "typically gay" character tropes. He's just playing a regular High School student and that's what makes him so charming and brilliant in this role.
Katherine Langford, known for her role as Hannah in 13 Reasons Why, plays Leah, one of Simon's best friends. Leah is better in the book than in the film, but Katherine plays her really well. The conflicting emotions she has throughout the film make her relatable. I could really see myself in her, and it's been four years since I was sixteen and in the position she was in during the film.
Alexandra Shipp, known for playing Storm in X-Men Apocalypse, plays Abby, the girl who moved to Creekwood three months prior to the film start. She is a bubbly character, and I always had a smile on my face when she was on screen. Parts of the film where she was involved did make me laugh and I could relate to the other characters during those scenes.
Logan Miller, known for playing Kent McFuller in Before I Fall, plays Martin, the antagonistic character. I both love and hate his character, which hadn't changed from reading the book. In the film, I actually felt more sorry for his character than with the book, but I also hated his character more. Logan does a fantastic job creating a character I simultaneously want to punch in the face, and just give a hug to. His portrayal of emotions is fantastic and I commend Logan for his acting skills.
Keiynan Lonsdale, known for playing Wally West in CW's The Flash, and Uriah in Divergent, plays Bram, the lovable friend. As soon as I saw the trailer, I was already excited being a fan of Keiynan's. And he didn't disappoint. His acting in this film is brilliant and there was a time I really wanted to slap him for his actions. Overall though, Bram is a character I have to love and Keiynan played him perfectly. Exactly how I saw him in the books.
Jorge Lendeborg Jr., known for his role as Jason in Spider-Man Homecoming, plays Nick, Simon's other childhood best friend. Though his character had the least impact on me during the film, I never felt like he wasn't important. Jorge's acting was incredible and I wish we had seen more of Nick than what we did.
Overall Rating
Love, Simon gets a 7.5 out of 10. I loved the film and hadn't cried at a film in a while, but having read the book prior to viewing, there were differences that were hard to overlook. Furthermore, there were certain choices with editing that I wasn't keen on.
I do highly recommend seeing the film, and reading the book.
Love, Simon is out in cinemas all over the UK now.
