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Love, Simon Movie Review

Love, Simon is a 2018 teen romantic comedy film directed by Greg Berlanti and starring Nick Robinson. It’s such a wonderful, truly charming movie.

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“You get to exhale now, Simon.

You get to be more you than you have been in…

in a very long time. You deserve everything you want“

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Now, I am bored by coming out movies as that is overdone by now. However, this is a different kind of coming out story and the one which I still ended up liking a lot because I couldn’t resist its charms. It actually depicts the experience of coming out exceptionally well and rather truthfully and that emotional turmoil is the biggest strength of the film.

Yes, this is basically a romantic comedy and your regular American coming-of-age film, but the difference is that it’s gay this time around and thus it is very important and groundbreaking. The fact that it took this long for a big budgeted gay romance is ridiculous, but here we are finally and what we get is one teen classic for the ages.

I actually fell in love with this film from the beginning and even though it can get very sentimental, especially in its ending, and it’s so immensely sugar-coated and awfully  optimistic and happy, it still worked because it was pleasantly old-fashioned, reminding me 80s teen films from John Hughes, while consistently been inherently charming, likable and humorous.

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One of the highlights is the mystery element to it. Finally, we get to see modern devices incorporated into a major film such as mobile phones, internet and online dating and it’s done here in a big way leading to a contemporary classic of the genre and a highly relatable movie. Its online gay romance is so wonderful, but it is further accentuated by that highly mysterious aspect to it which is so well executed from Simon’s point of view and as he shifts the suspects in his mind from one to another, we do the same. That was very interesting to see.

Let’s talk about the characters. First off, Simon. He can be a major douche at times, but honestly that was mostly a genius move from the filmmakers. Finally, we get a protagonist who isn’t some unrealistic goody two-shoes, but is rather a real human being with flaws and all. What he did to his friends was terrible, but still he had huge pressure from his blackmailer and that made the conflict all the more palpable.

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Jack and Emily are great parents and although too great and that was the most unrealistic part of the film, still their final two conversations were quite moving. Leah is very likable and the relationship between the two is quite complex. Abby and Nick are both great and honestly these four share such a wonderful friendship that what Simon did to all of them did hurt a lot. I loved their interactions and relationships. Simon’s boyfriend is also very likable and I really liked how he was revealed just in the final scene. And Martin is also a very interesting, complex and very realistic again character who goes from a major douchebag to a great friend in one scene. Ethan himself is so funny with a couple of great lines.

Love, Simon is so well acted with everyone doing a great job with Jennifer Garner being one of the highlights, but Nick Robinson surely steals the show in the main and most important role. His performance is unexpectedly stupendous and just goes to show that he is a talent to look out for in the future.

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The soundtrack is also excellent and a lot of fun, accompanying the mood of the film so well. Greg Berlanti’s direction is also great as he himself is gay so he lent some authenticity to the whole picture. The dialogue is very good as is the humor with a couple of hilarious, very clever scenes.

Love, Simon is immensely sugar-coated and sentimental, but I ended up really liking it regardless. That’s because it really is such a charming, wonderfully old-fashioned, yet still very modern, timely film which depicts online romance in such an interestingly mysterious, effective manner. The strong humor, friendship and emotional turmoil of the main protagonist (and the fact that he is not perfect, but a major douchebag at times) are the highlights of the film along with Nick Robinson’s stupendous performance.

My Rating – 4.5