Film Review – Love, Simon

Billed as a “Gay Breakfast Club” Love, Simon is a heartfelt, coming out, coming of age tale perfect for all generations (from 12 and up).

Jurassic World’s Nick Robinson does a thoroughly excellent job as Simon Spier, a “regular teenage kid” who has one massive secret – he is gay.

Nobody knows this, not his best friends (including Aussie Actress Katherine Langford from 13 Reasons Why), nor his parents Jack and Emily (Jennifer Garner & Josh Duhamel).

When Simon connects with another local gay person via an online gossip site, they form a relationship that Simon desperately wants to come to life in the real world and also keep secret.

He can’t quite reconcile the disruption to his life that coming out will generate, so he struggles with how to break the news.

When a creepy classmate Martin inadvertently discovers Simon’s online conversations with “Blue” (the anonymous poster), Simon is blackmailed into helping Martin form a relationship with Abby, one of Simon’s close friends.

Despite the large and competent cast, this really is a a one man film, and Robinson excels as the teenage character we’ve all been (or will be one day). Uncertain about his identity and how to carry himself through the tumultuous teenage years, particularly one that involves running the gauntlet of a judgmental schoolyard tribe.

This is a perfect film for parents to see with teenage children to initiate any kind of difficult dialogue, and I know I could still benefit from a similar breaking of the ice with both my remaining parent and my sons of a similar age to Simon.

Sex, drugs, drinking, driving, peer behaviour, mental health, these are all rites of passage for young people the world over and it is for this reason that Love, Simon connects on a universal level.

Yes, it is the first major studio film to focus on a gay teenage romance, but that is just a jumping off point to facilitate a whole rage of conversations that can be challenging to tackle.

Clearly this will be an iconic title for the gay community, but it is a also a wonderful coming of age tale for every family.

4 Stars. “Heartfelt. Funny. The Perfect Coming Out, Coming of Age Story.”