Movie Review: Love, Simon

If you were on social media at all this last weekend, you probably saw someone or several someones talking about Love, Simon. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda was one of my favorite reads of 2017 so of course I grabbed some Oreos and went to see the movie opening night.

Spoiler: I loved it as much as I love Double Stuffed Oreos!

Positive Representation is a Hell of a Thing.
Love, Simon is funny, positive, heartfelt, and just freaking adorable. It felt like a love letter to John Hughes and it had the same feel as his iconic 80's teen rom-coms. It made me laugh and it made me sob right there in the middle of a completely packed theater. I wasn't the only one though. I went and saw this with my best friend and his boyfriend and there wasn't a dry eye among us during certain scenes. I couldn't help but wish that we had had a movie like this when we were in high school and he was struggling to keep his sexuality a secret. Love, Simon is a film that believes and shows that everyone deserves a sweet, sappy movie love story, especially people who are often denied them. Positive representation is one hell of a thing and we need more of it in mainstream media.

Each character was perfectly cast! I was a little skeptical about how well Nick Robinson would play Simon but he nailed the character. Seriously. All the characters were perfectly played. And I loved that Simon's love interest, Blue, is played by a gay actor. Also, Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel were so great as Simon's parents! My BFF and I bawled during the scenes where Simon had heart-to-hearts with his parents. It just so great to see such a supportive and loving family on the big screen.

 

There were quite a few changes from the book but there needed to be. A lot of the book is emails between Simon and Blue and wouldn't translate well to the big screen. In my opinion, while it wasn't a perfect adaptation, the changes worked really well while keeping the book's message and adorable feel. The movie kind of became its own entity and I loved it so much!

Ethan
One of my favorite things about the movie was a character named Ethan. Ethan wasn't in the book but he's an addition that makes this story even better. He is the opposite of Simon. He's out and proud and won't let anyone shame him for who he is. He's also had it rough. As the first and only out gay guy at Creekwood, he was frequently bullied about it. He's the perfect flamboyant foil to Simon's normal and I loved him so much!

The Soundtrack
I going to be honest. I don't really buy soundtracks but I bought Love, Simon's as soon as I left the theater. It's SO good! I had never heard of the group, Bleachers, before the movie and now I'm kind of in love with them. As a whole, the music just fit the movie and I can't help but smile when certain songs come up on my playlist.

Verdict?
GO SEE IT. Go See It Now!

    

  5 / 5 Stars!