The Cinema Queen

Love, Simon, 2018 (Directed by Greg Berlanti)

I’m not sure even where to begin with this film. I read a review earlier today explaining how heard it is to be a critic of a film as groundbreaking as this when you’re both gay and a critic. Looking at this film as just another teen film, there is nothing spectacular about Love, Simon. It’s basically a re-hashing of You’ve Got Mail but in high school, Meg Ryan is a gay Nick Robinson and all made for the... well.. TUMBLR generation. There is nothing artistic about it in the way films like Carol, Moonlight or Call Me By Your Name are. I doubt it will win Oscars for that reason, but it doesn’t make it any less iconic.

By comparison, let’s look at another iconic teen film: The Breakfast Club (aka one of my all-time favorite films). There’s nothing artistic about that film whatsoever. Yeah, you can say the final shot isIt doesn’t try to be anything it’s not, but it became the framework for all teen films since. It broke barriers by being a film to look at teens in a more objective formula. You see teens as young adults all four dimensions and facing the world in the same way functional adults do. 

So yes, I am going out on a limb here and saying that Love, Simon is another Breakfast Club. Yes, we have had many teen films with gay plotlines, characters, etc. but never one as the central character, where he’s presented in a way that he’s not the butt of a joke or part of a doomed romance. Simon Spier is a multi-dimensional character that is not doomed to anything or some over-exaggerated cliché. He’s your typical teen lead, except he’s got one huge ass secret... HE’S GAY. That’s the lynchpin and you’d think that might be where the writers might fall into cliché, but no, instead they created the most relatable queer character in cinematic history, played with a casual brilliance by Nick Robinson (a rising star with a bright future). He has friends, ones since he was really young, new ones, crushes, enemies, bullies, general counterparts, etc. It’s everything we’ve seen before, but so nuanced and all geared towards the queer community, which has never happened before surprisingly. A film like this is so important. If it had come out (lol) when I was in high school or middle school, I would’ve come out myself so much earlier and I know it’s the same for so many others. 

Before I wrap up this review, I gotta give a quick shoutout to Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner, the two major stars in the film, who show they aren’t losing their stride with hilarious and heartwarming performances as Mr. and Mrs. Spier. Honestly lowkey in love with Josh Duhamel after this movie (not that he wasn’t already a snack prior).

Anyways, this movie is going to do so much. It might not be perfect and might not be a harsh look at queer culture, but we have plenty of those. This is a light fluffy look at modern LGBTQ+ teens that will save lives. Seriously. 

***FYI: It’s coming out wide release this Friday, March 16th in the U.S.***

I somehow managed to get into a last minute early screening of Love, Simon and it’s taking so much self-restraint to not spill all the beans. I’ll definitely have a more fleshed out review by Friday night, especially since I have tickets to see it again on Thursday (bless AMC for always having day before screenings) and can give a more thought out review (and not be obligated to cover up as much for spoilers).

Anyways, mark my words here... THIS FILM will be the John Hughes blockbuster for queer cinema. It is what the LGBTQ+ community has been asking for forever in a wide released film. A light fluffy rom com coming-of-age teen film with a central queer protagonist. What has been blowing up box offices for straight teens since I was in elementary school. All us gay kids got were artsy tragedies like Brokeback Mountain that got parodied and made fun of for being so “grotesquely” gay. We NEEDED this film and with the care, promotion, etc. it got, I’m so happy to stand behind it and highly recommend it.

Hope to see you all at the movies this Friday! I want Love, Simon to be destroying the box office like every other teen film before it.