Love in the time of social media
Love, Simon (M, 110mins) Directed by Greg Berlanti ★★★★
The son of a quarterback who married the school valedictorian, 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) appears to have found his niche at suburban Atlanta’s Creekwood High.
Along with old friends Nick (Jorge Lendeborg Jnr), Leah (Katherine Langford) and newcomer Abby (Alexandra Shipp), he navigates high school politics, musical rehearsals and spends any spare time at the local Waffle Hut discussing bad 1990s movIes and drinking way too much iced coffee.
But he also has, in his own words, ‘‘one huge-ass secret’’. Simon likes boys.
Sure his therapist Mom (Jennifer Garner) might be as liberal as they come and he knows his Dad’s (Josh Duhamel) comments about ‘‘fruity, one-man pride parades’’ are only made in jest, but Simon isn’t ready to let either them or his friends into that intimate part of his life.
"While the film obviously has a target audience, there's enough entertainment here for adults too, particularly those keen to reminisce about high school comedies past."
But when hyperlocal internet gossip site Creek Secrets includes an anonymous confession from one of their classmates that they are gay, Simon can’t resist reaching out to ‘‘Blue’’ in the hope of finding kinship at the very least.
Based on Becky Albertalli’s 2015 novel Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Love, Simon is an endearing and entertaining update of a traditional John Hughes-style (Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink) high school rom-com, but for more enlightened times.
There’s the quirky characters, so hip it hurts dialogue, trendsetting soundtrack choices (featured artists include Bleachers, Troye Sivan and The 1975) and, of course, big gestures.
Thankfully though, this is no pale imitation or pallid parody.
Director Greg Berlanti (a producer on TV’s Riverdale and Supergirl) and This is Us writing duo Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker all have form in creating compelling contemporary drama and they certainly don’t disappoint here.
Yes, this is somewhat vanilla in its storytelling – mainstream Hollywood isn’t quite ready for an edgy gay high school comedy just yet.
But Love, Simon isn’t also afraid to mix the Whitney Houstonscored fantasy dance number with some genuine pathos and subvert audience expectations with a healthy dose of realism.
While the film obviously has a target audience, there’s enough entertainment here for adults too, particularly those keen to reminisce about high school comedies past, with their quirky teaching staff, disastrous party costumes and secret crushes.
Like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Edge of Seventeen and Easy A, Love, Simon is proof that there is still plenty of life, fun and intelligent storytelling to be had in the high school movie genre.
– James Croot