Not In Love With Simon
Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer gave “Love Simon” a 92 percent rating and 91 percent of audiences liked it, most giving the film 4.5 out of 5 stars. The NY Times applauds it, as does Rolling Stone — but I’d give it an “Eh, it’s a sweet film, but I took issue with some of its content.”
What this appraisal looks like as a percentage isn’t entirely clear, and perhaps it’s not as eloquently stated as Glenn Kenny, but I stand by it.
I did cry and cringe in moments writers Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker likely hoped I would; the unintentional slights from friends and homophobic jokes from family. The high school principal’s homogenization of LBGTQ+ folks, as if being gay is the same for everyone when it’s not.
The satirical montage of straight people “coming out” to show how, even with our country’s social and political progress, straight is still the default, and there’s still a great deal of effort and fear involved in revealing one’s romantic preferences.
These moments were nice to see on screen, out in the open for folks to consider, but it was palatable; served quaintly and comfortably to people who are likely the least uncomfortable.
“Love, Simon” directed by Greg Berlanti and based on the book Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, is set in an affluent neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite the protagonist’s struggle, everything else seems to be Disney-channel-like perfect in a way that feels forced. Simon’s parents are practically Ken (Josh Duhamel) and Barbie (Jennifer Garner), and they live in a house Martha Stewart would envy.
In the beginning, Simon reiterates again and again how his life is completely normal, yet he’s not average in the least — he’s incredibly privileged. Certainly hiding your identity is painful and that experience is not to be belittled yet, at the same time, it seems disrespectful to not acknowledge how lucky he is. Perhaps his admission of normalcy is an attempt to acknowledge his privilege, but all it does is disregard it.
Film critics like Peter Travers calls this film “a groundbreaker.” And, it probably is for an elderly, hetero white guy clearly desperate to connect to today’s youth by using the word “woke” in the title of his review.
But, to lump it in with the cadence and candor of films like “Moonlight” and “Call Me By Your Name” is just wrong. “Love, Simon” isn’t terrible, and it’s not phenomenal. It’s a sweet yet somewhat shallow film attempting to go deep. It leaves audiences, who perhaps hoped to get soaked, standing in a puddle that’s only up to their ankles.
That being said it’s worth seeing for yourself, if not only to stir up the feelings of frustration similar to ones I had in seeing it. My view is just one so take it with a grain of salt, but this movie is, quite literally, overrated.
