LOVE, SIMON

PG-13, 109 minutes. Starts tonight at Stonington, Waterford, Westbrook. Does 2018 need an earnest coming out story about an upper-middle class cisgender white boy? At face value, the tale of “Love, Simon” could possibly seem a bit dated. But the teen comedy — directed by Greg Berlanti, written by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, based on the book “Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli — is impossibly infectious, and so much more than just a coming out story. The nature of the film itself is political: It’s a necessary and humane representation that foregrounds a queer character’s journey and gives them a swooningly romantic love story to boot. But setting all that aside, “Love, Simon” is simply a fantastic high school comedy that’s grounded, funny and heartwarming. Nick Robinson stars as Simon, a senior in high school who’s been privileged with a charmed life — loving parents (Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner), a sweet sister (Talitha Eliana Bateman), gorgeous home, inexplicably hip musical taste (The Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff is the music supervisor), and a clique of awesome friends: Leah (Katherine Langford), Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) and new girl Abby (Alexandra Shipp). The only thing that sets Simon apart is his deep, dark secret — he’s lusting after the hunky gardener next door. That’s right, he’s gay. But how, now, with legal gay marriage, a supportive, liberal family and a multi-culti group of cool friends, could that be an issue? Tonally, “Love, Simon” exists on a spectrum between “Lady Bird” and “Mean Girls.” It has the warm winsomeness of “Lady Bird,” and the crackling humor of “Mean Girls,” playing with the high school archetypes that film captured so well. All three are about the protagonists at the center