"Simon" is based on a young adult novel by Becky Albertalli about the toils of high school life in some elite Georgia-based suburbia. We meet the hero, Simon (Nick Robinson) and his notably WASPy family (his parents are no less than Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel). Simon explains in an opening monologue that his life is something we might all recognize, and I laughed as we see the affluent life he leads. His house is ripped from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, and his high school has a welcoming diversity not seen since High School Musical. The setting is all but ideal, save for the fact that Simon harbors a closely-held secret: that he is gay.
The movie essentially follows two threads: Simon's conversations with an online blogger named "Blue" (another closeted student who allegedly goes to Simon's school), and those same email threads being seen by another student, Martin (Logan Miller) and his attempts to blackmail Simon in order to get a date with one of his friends. The bulk of the film documents Simon's chats (online he goes by the pen name Jacques) with Blue, and his slow realization that perhaps he would be more comfortable coming out as gay and exploring a life he had previously hidden away to everyone in his life.
I liked the movie a lot for what it sought to accomplish. Robinson is perfectly charming as Simon, a quiet and timid young man on the verge of discovering himself. His friend circle is a bedrock of support, and yet Simon reminds the audiences that he is fearful of admitting himself to be gay, especially to his family. Why? It's said in the film's first minutes that his parents are as progressive as they come, and they regularly engage in family discussions that cover very candid topics (as well as weekly family viewings of "The Bachelor"). We can only justify Simon's actions by learning that only one other student is gay in his high school, a particularly fierce black student with long hair and feminine features. Yes, he is bullied, but unlike other stories, this kid is not the victim. Students throw around the word "fag" here and there, but in 2018, it's somewhat refreshing to see the gay boy taking no notice.
There are many scenes that may have viewers well up with understanding, and just as many that will encourage laughter as a way to stifle the tears (the drama teacher in particular, Natasha Rothwell, has nothing but scene-stealing moments). It feels at times that the film attempts a more broad humor not suited for the film, particularly with the vice-principal character played by Tony Hale. His is a character with a pension for awkward dialogue and an openness in discussing his own romantic life. Coupled against Simon and his more grounded dramatic story, the film indeed has many hiccups of silliness that I didn't find particularly funny (or fitting).
And in the end, as you might expect in the classic vein of romantic high school comedies, Simon meets Blue in a finale set around some unnamed amusement park. That Blue turns out to be a young, attractive, fit, and compatible lover despite the two never meeting is besides the point. I imagined Simon finally meeting his online companion only to discover Blue to be an obese lesbian with shaved temples and a knack for poetry... This isn't one of those films - it's one where everything is wrapped up with a pretty bow and the audience has a final moment to cheer and feel invigorated. I anticipate a second viewing of "Love, Simon" only to once again see the normalization of a topic that Hollywood has long kept on the back burner. This isn't a film that necessarily merits any "best of the year" conversations over next year's awards season, but knowing that more diverse topics aren't necessarily taboo anymore is a great comfort, indeed.
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