love, simon analysis
), But first: a drinking game! UGH MARTIN. LOVE, SIMON's Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) has a great life. He's a junior at Creekside High School and is secretly gay. Simon must discover who that boy is--who Blue is. Meet the least convincing looking teenager of the cast. The two work in tandem. There's just one big secret he's been keeping for a while: He's gay, and he's not sure whether he wants everyone to know. Love, Simon is, in many ways, your typical coming-of-age film. Why is "straight the default," he asks. Fellow scientists, a momentous discovery has been made: an honest-to-goodness great YA movie and adaptation! Thankfully, the actor's as much of a grown-ass adult as he looks (he's 23), because a book club friend and I were both like, "UMMMM, Waffle House is kind of hot.". * Becky Albertalli did say that Simon assumes all of his friends are straight but they're not. (CHICKEN POX 4EVER!!!!). • But we did get Bieber the dog! Rather than blatantly copy that Oscar-winning black-gay-victim film, Love, Simon remakes the pathetic Moonlight in the more marketable guise of … Love, Simon is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Greg Berlanti, written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, and based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Wins Early Award for Outstanding Writing in a Documentary at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, Airing March 27th, Undoing Spectacle: Directors Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dustin Mancinelli on Violation, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal. Based on Becky Albertalli’s best-selling YA novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Love, Simon centers around Simon Spier, a … ), - The Spiers watching The Bachelor. Based on our sample size (LOOK, actual science! Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it's a little more complicated. He is pretty sure his parents would be fine with it and his friends would be okay too. Instead, Simon's on the lookout for a Game of Thrones fan. The Homosapien Agenda” by Becky Albertalli is the narrative winning hearts with every screening. Simon is a normal kid with a normal family, living a normal life, except there’s one small thing no one knows about him: Simon is gay. HASHTAG BLESSED. Fellow scientists, a momentous discovery has been made: an honest-to-goodness great YA movie and adaptation! As Simon (Nick Robinson) tells us in his opening voiceover, he lives a normal life "just like you." “Love, Simon” is the first studio teen film whose focus is on a gay lead character, and, in a world that is aiming for representation, it’s a good first step. , Love, Simon presents an even more mainstream take on adolescent homosexuality. (Not coincidentally, it's when he turns off the smarm.). Granted, I was predisposed to dislike this character because of his book counterpart, but Logan Miller could be the heir to Paul Dano if he wants. (But, like, woke John Hughes. I was about to wonder why someone invented a clueless grownup for the movie, but take one look at the real world and clueless grownups might actually be vastly underrepresented. [Simon runs into the bathroom and texts his parents to pick him up] Simon… (He plays obnoxious extremely well, is what I'm saying. One of the beautiful aspects of "Love, Simon" is that the intimacy blossoming between the two characters is based on how much they come to care about each other, how much they support one another's journey. ANYWAY. ), 6 out of 6 Edmonton FYA Book Club members who loved the book also loved the movie, ERGO 100% SATISFIED READERS GUARANTEED. OOF. Going into the theater, I was expecting just another half-funny, overacted romantic comedy, but while there were some clichéd moments, the film was surprisingly deep. • Even though it wouldn't have realistically fit into one movie, I wish there was an even bigger focus on the friendships, since I loved how complex the group dynamics were in the book. His manipulations lead to enormous confusion, hurt feelings, emotional chaos, with Simon rationalizing it all to himself as doing what he has to do to protect Blue's identity. Film Analysis: Love, Simon And The Help. There was a feeling of cathartic release in the theatre, unique in my experience, especially with teenage rom-com fare. For self-empowerment, sure, but still self-serving since by "I deserve a superhero", he meant he should be her superhero. On March 16, “Love, Simon” is coming out of the closet with a movie that will have you crying, laughing and everything in between. • However, Martin getting rejected was ramped way the hell up from the book -- probably to give him better motivation for outing Simon. - OREOS, obvs, as well as strong opinions on Oreos. Abby's so amazing -- and made even more so by Alexandra Shipp's portrayal -- that I almost can't fault Martin for being in love with her. Have y'all fallen in love with watched Love, Simon yet? He's basically the best non-book addition that the movie made. I noticed no surreptitious checking of cell phones during the film, only an energy of complete engagement. But OH MAN, another candidate for maximum heartbreak: Simon yelling at Martin for being robbed of coming out on his own terms. • Also lost in adaptation: Cal being bi. When, in reality, ABBY CAN BE HER OWN DAMN SUPERHERO HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT MY GIRL LIKE THAT, WRITERS?!?? Or JUST EMBRACE THE SQUEE, JESSA.). I haven't watched 13 Reasons Why, so this was probably a much more upbeat role to see her play. The plot of Love, Simon consists of a teen coming of age and discovering who he is and coming out as gay to his friends and family. Rosemary's Favourite Nick Robinson is so endearingly awkward as our Simon Spier, excelling at both comedy and drama. And now... Bram-y? Along the way, he tries to find himself as well. (READ THE BOOK, Y'ALL. • Real talk: when Leah stated that she wasn't in love with Nick, I legit thought she was going to say she had been crushing on Abby instead of Simon. Things get weird when fellow Drama Club member Martin (Logan Miller) enters the scene. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity. Love, Simon Directed by Greg Berlanti Comedy, Drama, Romance PG-13 1h 50m. do not let it flop. - The drama production is Cabaret instead of Oliver Twist, and it's also quite the clusterfuck. His secret is he is gay. (I occasionally branch out to bands that don't start with a 'B', too.). scene), YES!! • Look, I'm always hesitant to make direct comparisons since those can set expectations so high. At three separate points in my screening of Love, Simon, a sizeable portion of the audience united in a collective “awwwww” – a satisfied, soft-hearted sigh, as if … ), • Granted, I'm not a stickler for exact details, and I deliberately didn't reread the book beforehand so that it wasn't super fresh in my mind and the movie could stand on its own a bit more. The Homosapien Agenda” by Becky Albertalli is the narrative winning hearts with every screening. Although I'll forever lament any and everything that he's in for not showing off his dancing skills. Although if I wanted to pick a nit, there's an early scene with Simon literally putting on pants one leg at a time just like everyone else that's a little too on the nose. The romantic feelings come out of a soul and heart connection. THIS. “Love, Simon,” based on “Simon vs. 1 Personality 2 Appearance 3 Books 3.1 Simon vs. Stop here, skip to the very last section ("Love, FYA"), or proceed at your own discretion. IT. He understands teen neuroses, and cares about teenage experience, its intensities, its depths, how important romance is to the teenage kids engaged in it. The LOVE, SIMON movie’s soundtrack having new music from not only Bleachers but Troye Sivan, Khalid, Mø, and more is just making us even more excited!! He loves his family, he has friends, and he's doing well in school. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and its movie adaptation Love, Simon. This is how sensitive smart teenagers talk. I did not see the movie at a press screening surrounded by critics. (Plus, as a fellow hopeless romantic with an overactive imagination, I found this v. relatable of Simon.) By Glenn Kenny. Love, Simon Everyone deserves a great love story. That's what I sensed in the screening of “Love, Simon," and that's what the film is. Historically, "coming out" stories in the movies have involved their own kinds of cliches: torment, tragedy, parental/societal rage, fear of disease, and sometimes even death. Even though alcohol is totally unnecessary for enjoyment purposes. This plot allows for many opportunities for diegesis, due to the multiple scenes where we are seeing Simon email Blue without any other character seeing. I can see many a teen coveting Simon's amazing bedroom, because I totally would have been one. Not to be left out, Tad Hamilton gets his chance to make me feel old shine as well. With Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Langford. The romantic feelings come out of a soul and heart connection. I loved Ms. Albright in the book and I might love her even more in the movie, thanks to Natasha Rothwell's hilarious performance. The film isn’t perfect. • In case it wasn't obvious enough, this cast is damn near PERFECTION. A Highly Scientific Analysis of LOVE, SIMON Everyone deserves a great love story -- and Love, Simon definitely is one. • As someone who rarely cries at movies, my biggest tearjerkers were Simon's final email to Blue, and then when Blue finally reveals his identity and they kiss on the Ferris wheel BRB SOBBING. Director Greg Berlanti, who has helmed a string of hit television shows as producer and writer, uses the familiar teenage romance genre to tell an LGBTQ story, and in so doing makes these tropes feel fresh, fun, entertaining. - Simon's Halloween party investigation into everyone's family history is no more, but he does get to put his foot in his mouth over a different awkward comment. (Sorry, Alice.). His brother is gay, he tries very hard to fit in. Simon Spier is your completely average 17-year-old high school student. Simon Spier keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. In the movie and its spinoff television series Love, Victor, he is portrayed by Nick Robinson. So let's step inside the FYA laboratory to conduct some Highly Scientific Analysis! The identity of "Blue" is the cliffhanger of "Love, Simon," and Berlanti has a lot of fun keeping us in suspense. Simon ends up connecting with an anonymous guy from school that he nicknames “Blue”. “Love, Simon” is a surprisingly emotional, teenage coming-of-age story set around a closeted gay high school senior and the dramatic events leading up to his coming out. 3/5 stars. It has to be accessible to wide audiences, rack up enough money that prominent LGBTQ films continue getting made, and represent a … She loves Nick."). And it couldn't have happened to a more deserving book, Becky Albertalli's wonderful Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. A high school girl and boy fall in love and overcome everything together. These stories are important ones too, and have been breakthroughs in representation. ), Ollie! A closeted gay teenager, he starts an online relationship with another gay boy from his high school who goes by the nickname Blue. (Thought, hoped -- same difference. • Poor Simon's older sister got cut. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here. Simon is the seventeen-year-old titular protagonist of the novel. This movie is the classic teen romance fairytale, and we have seen these movies before. Can you tell how happy and relieved I am that one of my favourite books was adapted with such care and love? March 15, 2018; For the most part, “Love, Simon” is … Movie Analysis Part 2: Love, Simon Chapter 3: 1. The first major-studio romantic comedy with a teen protagonist who’s closeted, “Love, Simon” is basically a sitcom counterpart to last year’s Oscar-nominated “Call Me” — … Love, Simon takes steps toward intersectionality through the screenplay's addition of the character of Ethan (who is not in the novel, and is played by Clark Moore), an unabashedly out, black schoolmate of Simon's, who dunks on the bullies who taunt him as a routine part of his day. ), THE OFFICIAL FYA LOVE, SIMON DRINKING GAME, • someone underage is drinking alcohol (which better not include any of y'all who are partaking in this game!). Hit me up with your thoughts in the comments! He’s got a great family, amazing friends that he loves, a part in the school musical, but he’s got a pretty big secret — he’s gay. (Omg they would have SUCH OPINIONS on the most recent season.). But "Love, Simon" is a mainstream film for teenagers. (F-bomb alert! It's a throwback to the teen movies of yore, but teen movies are also never going back; audiences had to wait until 2018 for Love, Simon to be the first major studio film about a gay teenage romance, and we're definitely not going to be as patient to see more diverse representation. W ith its sheer warmth, openness, likability and idealism, Love, Simon won me over. • Honourable mention FOR HEARTBREAK: the fallout from Simon alienating all his friends. (The lightest and mildest of spoilers ahead, unless otherwise stated when there are GIANT spoilers. • ... although one of my friends pointed out that both educators were wildly unprofessional and, like, should not have jobs, even if Ms. Albright was on the side of righteous anger at the bigoted bullies. There's the nerdy Vice Principal, the bacchanalian high school party, supportive yet somewhat clueless parents, witty voiceover from the protagonist, public declarations of love in front of the whole school, all held together by a stream of catchy pop tunes. If Martin reveals the correspondence to the school, as he threatens to do, then Blue will be scared away for good. He might be a minor character, but seeing more bi representation in pop culture would have been major. *) That was a swerve that I don't know if it was an improvement; Leah had so much angst over Abby becoming both best friend to Simon and object of affection to Nick while also trying to reconcile that with being her friend. Martin Addison is a student at Shady Creek high school. • OK BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT MARTIN?!?! He finds out about Simon's secret correspondence and blackmails Simon into helping him get a date with Abby, who wants nothing to do with him. “Love, Simon,” based on “Simon vs. As we follow Simon’s journey trying to … Soul! Everyone deserves a great love story -- and Love, Simon definitely is one. When Simon's anonymous crush finally revealed his identity, the audience erupted into screams and applause. (Truly, is it ever an FYA movie review without one? • OMG THE COLLEGE FANTASY DANCE SCENE. • The music is ON POINT, at least for someone listens to Bleachers and Banners as much as I do. - Simon wearing glasses in the school dance flashback. The lone iced coffee! Emailing under the pseudonym Jacques, Simon begins an email correspondence with another secretly gay boy… read analysis of Simon Spier • We already knew he was the king of The CW, but Greg Berlanti knocked it out of the park in bringing Simon Vs. to life. So then when the change was revealed, I was like, AWWW DANG IT, MY SUSPICIONS WERE VALID. There are many potential candidates, and as Simon drifts from one to the other, wondering, "Are you Blue? [we see Simon in flashback dancing with girlfriend] Jackie: I think I’m falling in love with you. • I did think it was weird when Simon and Leah had A Moment during their sleepover ("WTF? I do remember liking her, but I also had no recollection of her name until I looked it up. A high school girl and boy fall in love and overcome everything together. When someone with the alias "Blue" writes a post on a popular local message board about being afraid to come out as gay, Simon reaches out privately, using the alias "Jacques." Can you tell that I love it just a little lot? Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel as Emily and Jack, Simon's parents. (The lesson here is to choose your seat wisely. The two kids start a correspondence, hesitant at first and then increasing in intensity. Arriving in the wake of Oscar-winning gay romance Call Me by Your Name, Love, Simon presents an even more mainstream take on adolescent homosexuality. Simon: Wow. May this groundbreaking, trailblazing, heartwarming, and entertaining movie be the first of many in a more inclusive pop culture landscape. And they have great chemistry with each other! He plays a huge role in Simon's life after seeing Simon's emails from a school computer and using them to blackmail Simon to be his wingman for Abby Suso. Are you?" He also resents having to "come out" at all (which leads to a very funny sequence imagining kids having to come out as heterosexual to their devastated sobbing parents). From clever signs and billboards to love tweets, Love, Simon promo got noticed for all the right reasons. love simon is about a gay kid love simon has 2 black leads and a black love interest love simon has an out black gay kid love simon is the story we need. (Instructions here. - Simon has a different email handle, although I did catch "Hour to hour, note to note" scribbled on his bedroom chalkboard wall. (Although I can fault him for everything else, but I'm getting ahead of myself.) Self Concept: I chose this concept because it is very prominent in the movie, especially to the main character, Simon, because he is struggling with his self concept, mainly being his sexuality and how to live with his newly outed identity 2. But in mainstream films, playing in a Multplex, the gay characters are still more often than not sidekicks to the hetero leads. buy your tickets. Dear @beckyalbertalli. (In a Good Way This Time), It’s All Fun and Catalog Shooting Until Someone Loses An Eye, Tell The Wolves That This Book Is Amazing, Simon assumes all of his friends are straight but they're not. • The grownups (the three that matter, anyway) kicking ass through speeches: both of Simon's parents, as well as Ms. Albright! Nothing is wrong, except, as Simon says in voiceover, "I have a huge-ass secret." A long overdue exhale. But for seventeen-year old Simon Spier it's a little more complicated. Berlanti, who brought us "Dawson's Creek" and "Riverdale," knows this teenage territory extremely well. Update: We have the first official trailer! The coming-out story of the century is finally here, as “Love, Simon” hit theaters last month. A young coming-of-age tale about a teenage boy, Simon Spier, goes through a different kind of Romeo and Juliet story. It takes all the corniness and tweeness of the coming-of-age genre and transplants new heart into it. Simon has a love connection with a boy, Blue, by email, but the only problem is that Simon has no idea who he's talking to. Simon becomes a reluctant hidden puppeteer of the ever-shifting extremely-fraught landscape of various high school romances involving Leah, Nick and Abby, people who are supposed to be his best friends. Simon: Dear Blue, It was a bunch of little things, like my first girlfriend. He lives in a nice house, has two supportive parents (Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) and a young sister obsessed with "Top Chef" (Talitha Eliana Bateman). Disney+'s The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Sticks to the Hits, Mr. The stakes could not be higher. "Love, Simon" is a mainstream-styled teenage rom-com that uses every cliche in the book. He plays Fagin in a school production of "Cabaret". I didn't care for how he eventually (platonically) charmed Abby, because he really didn't do anything differently? His best friends are Leah (Katherine Langford), Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) and Abby (Alexandra Shipp). After I stopped reeling from the fact that Sydney Bristow is now playing the mom of teenagers, I was able to properly appreciate this inspired casting. "Love, Simon" is filled with humor—in its characters, dialogue, and situations—but it doesn't sacrifice emotional depth. But "Love, Simon"'s use of these cliches represents a huge first, because it is the story of a young closeted gay kid's difficult and often humorous march towards coming out. - Speaking of, Simon and Blue don't share an obsession of Elliott Smith. In one poignant scene, Simon's mother says to him, "You can exhale now, Simon." WHO WOULDN'T BE?!?!? Not on board with Abby's good judgment being sacrificed in service of Martin freaking Addison, smh. He is afraid, instead, of how it will change everything, how people might perceive him differently. Also pretty dang adorbs is JLJ as Nick, the carefree and easygoing jock. (Pro-tip: If you'd like to leave a spoiler-y comment, please use spoiler tags! The uniqueness of Love, Simon leaves it in the awkward position of having to be too many things to too many people. People were talking back to the screen or gasping in sympathy or howling with laughter. • And maybe my '90s teen movie upbringing is showing, but I was far too relieved that there wasn't a subplot about the two desperately single teachers hooking up. This movie is the classic teen romance fairytale, and we have seen these movies before. Is it March yet?! Especially since I want ALLLLLLLLL the Becky Albertalli Cinematic Universe movies now. Directed by Greg Berlanti. Did anyone hear that hollering in the distance? • I noticed a few slight tweaks, but took no issues with any of them. And it couldn't have happened to a more deserving book, Becky Albertalli's wonderful Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It didn't make sense that she found him gut-busting hilarious afterwards when he was still telling the same bad jokes. He's yet to tell his family or friends he's gay and he doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate he's fallen for online. One of the beautiful aspects of "Love, Simon" is that the intimacy blossoming between the two characters is based on how much they come to care about each other, how much they support one another's journey. It could be any one of them. MOVIE. Thank you. For book readers, also take a sip whenever: • you're delighted by your recognition of specific book callbacks, • you're not sure how you feel about a change, • Simon checks his email on his phone or a computer, • a scene is depicted from Simon's imagination, • Nora cooks up something in the kitchen, • Vice-Principal Worth confiscates a phone, • the morning routine ends with drive-through iced coffees, • someone's Halloween costume is stated or explained. (Go see the shizz out of it! Screenwriters Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker (whose shared credits include "This Is Us" and "About a Boy") have a great ear for the undulating rhythms of comedy and pathos. It’s filled with cliches, an uneven attention to plot points and some meh performances, but its message of self-love will most definitely move you. The film stars Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, and Jennifer Garner. Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. BUT ACTUALLY THOUGH, this movie is indeed John Hughes-ian. The vice-principal's an insufferable try-hard, but he does have a brief redeeming moment. He's a good student and participates in the Drama Club. • Simon imagining his straight friends having to come out (aka the "Why is straight the default?" Recent films like "Call Me by Your Name," and "Blue is the Warmest Color" show characters who are not punished for their sexuality by the world, their parents, their peers, and these films are huge steps forward. ), • More adaptation thoughts to come, but the movie totally captures the spirit of the book. Wally! (But for real, Jennifer Garner has been playing awesome moms since Juno, so her being great in the role should come as no surprise.) "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" has been stuck in my head ever since, and I don't mind at all. She says, in one of the many wonderful lines in the film, "I am the kind of person destined to care so much about one person it'll nearly kill me." • Shoutout to the marketing team, who has been CRUSHING. )), Love, Simon is in theatres now. #LOVESIMON pic.twitter.com/TlXgg9wDmY. BOOK AND MOVIE SPOILERS AHEAD! I’ll be right back. Like, it'd be one thing if they actually found common ground, but the turning point was him acting petulant until he succeeded in getting her to cause a scene at Waffle House. Not only do I want it to succeed, but it absolutely deserves to. There's one scene where Leah shares with Simon how she always feels like she's on the outside looking in. It's the quiet kid from Parenthood playing the quiet kid from drama club! In fact, another book clubber and I enjoyed it so much that we were both audibly, shamelessly squeeing throughout the entire movie, much to the chagrin of the poor person sandwiched between us. Based on Becky Albertalli's YA novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, "Love, Simon" is a radically inclusive act. I especially love how he depicted Blue as whichever guy Simon currently suspected and/or wished was Blue. The pieces of popular culture that I chose to write about today are a 2018 film called Love, Simon and a 2013 film called The Help. Such films underline the perils of living in a homophobic world, of being "out" in an atmosphere not just unwelcoming but deadly. • Y'all, there is some Nancy Meyers level of house porn. But I still caught plenty of nods to the book, even if movie-only viewers won't be able to fully appreciate them until they read the book.