A lot of recent talk has centered around the value of inclusion in movies. There's been a little negative backlash, a good amount of positive affirmation... and, I think, a fair amount of polite indifference. But it really does matter. When it comes to gay subject matter, most movies fit into one of two constricted boxes. You have award bait like Call Me By Your Name and Moonlight, movies that I think come across like they're packaging a message for straight audiences more than they're trying to reach and/or entertain a gay one. Then you've got the sort of cheaply made stuff that streams in rivers on Netflix. Every once in a long while, you'll find a decent-though-not-exceptional one, and you'll have to wade through a dozen terrible ones to find it. (I've watched several truly bad ones that I've never even bothered to blog about. Hopefully it was because of embarrassment as a movie watcher and not embarrassment as a gay man. Maybe I've still got some issues to work on there.)
In any case, Love, Simon does what I'd hoped -- it doesn't slip neatly into either category. The movie may be a milestone for being the first major studio release to center on an LGBT teen romance, but thankfully that sense of Importance doesn't permeate the film itself and weigh it down. There's a fair amount of material here that does seem more intended for the straight people (who I suppose will make up most of the audience), but some of that is due to the fact that many well-worn staples of the romantic comedy genre are being appropriated. There's a lot to the story that to me felt honest, true, and familiar -- this isn't set in a sun-dappled Italian villa no one actually gets to live in, nor is it about secluded cowboys (with or without pudding -- thanks, South Park).
The movie does a great job of capturing versions of several key moments in the "coming out" experience. (Well, mine, anyway.) The litany of excuses you make up to avoid telling anyone. The first time you're confronted by someone who has figured you out. The first time you choose to tell a close friend. The first time you tell your family. It's all woven through a fairly light and fluffy "secret admirer" type of story, and there are plenty of jokes... and yet, there are moments that are surprisingly deep. I wasn't expecting just how moving I would find some of the scenes to be.
The cast is solid. Nick Robinson is excellent at the title character, natural and charismatic. Simon's close trio of friends -- Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. -- are fun. Logan Miller walks a great line as Martin -- he's the heel of the story, and yet has to remain not-totally-unlikeable for the bulk of it, which Miller pulls off. The comic relief is entertaining from the always-funny Tony Hale, and even more so from Natasha Rothwell (who steals every scene she's in as the much-suffering drama teacher). Anchoring some of the film's most dramatic scenes, as Simon's parents, are Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel. Each is perfect in their role; Garner in particular is key to the strongest scene in the movie.
When I ranked Love, Simon in my Flickchart, it landed right on the cusp of A-/B+. For me, I'd say it's probably the former; I suspect for most people it would probably be more the latter. It depends on whether you're perceiving this as a first-of-its-kind movie, or just another teen rom-com. Either way, I'd recommend it. I certainly enjoyed it more than the last few years' worth of LGBT films that have come with hand outstretched for awards.
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