Love, Simon was a movie I was very much looking forward to seeing since hearing of its release. The film focuses on 17-year-old Simon Spiers, a closeted gay teenager who is navigating the process of coming out. It’s the first major Hollywood film to address coming to terms with one’s homosexuality in the high school years, something the world has not quite been exposed to in wide release cinemas. Hollywood had some high expectations to meet if they truly wanted to touch on the struggles of gays in their early years, but unfortunately they didn’t quite hit the mark. Don’t get me wrong, the film has a story that touched many people, and definitely appeals to the masses. However Love, Simon is not very accurate in portraying the experiences of most young homosexuals.
If Hollywood really wanted to create a film about coming out in adolescence, they should have touched on the good, the bad, and the incredibly ugly. While the film is based on the book Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and the director may have tried to stay true to the telling of the story in the book, the film isn’t very original in terms of other Hollywood love stories and isn’t completely realistic. Here are a couple important aspects of the film that could have been portrayed closer to reality:
Coming out to the family
In the film, Simon’s family doesn’t even blink an eye when he comes out to them on Christmas morning. They are almost too accepting of the news. In reality it can take families months, even years to accept their child’s sexuality, and that moment can be filled with rage and frustration amongst the parents. While it may not be pleasant to watch, it is the reality for many gays.
Bullying/Blackmail
While Simon was exposed online and got taunted verbally and virtually, the bullying portrayed in the film was extremely mild compared to what most gays have to deal with in school. Like I said before, if Hollywood is going to touch on the subject, they need to be prepared to show the good, the bad, and the incredibly ugly.
Despite the inaccurate representation, the film does a good job of maintaining an accepting and supportive tone and represents different kinds of individuals in the sense that homosexuality isn’t a “one-size fits all” kind of deal. I recommend the film to viewers, but keep in mind that the film does portray a kind of false image of what reality can be for many of these individuals.
Grade: B
Love, Simon Review by Dylan Tracy