‘Love, Simon’ may strike too unconventional given how gay romance often turns out to be maudlin, if not overly sensual. In this Greg Berlanti’s adaptation of Becky Albertalli’s breakout book,’ Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda’, the lachrymose tone is grounded to a certain lightness, and frequently, the effect is heartwarming, and to some extent, poignant. Greg Berlanti’s impeccable sense of tone allows the narrative’s unexpected beauty, sustain its fragile but inescapable charm, never letting such elegance sink audience to an unfamiliar feeling, but to an affectionate awareness too natural not to relate with.
In the film, Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) is a self-proclaimed average guy with a huge-ass secret; he’s gay. The story rolls out from this revelation, and threads though perky events—though sometimes, sedate, but rarely weepy—that chronicle his journey to finally getting the great love story he believes he deserves. His parents, played by Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner, are probably the best of their kind, and he has the cutest little sister. He practically has the best family in the world. He has a circle of supportive friends, too. But something’s holding him back from announcing to the whole world, who he really is. Things change upon the arrival of ‘Blue’, a mysterious online guy, who shares the same struggle of hiding his real identity. Almost unexpectedly, he falls in love with Blue, but this is also where the bigger complications unfold from. Somebody leaks his email exchanges with Blue, and now he’s exposed. His world suddenly turns upside down.
A part of Love, Simon‘s humongous charm emanates from a level of sincerity employed to keep all the proceedings, admirably sensible and natural. There are a lot of trite moments that somehow feel unnecessary to the overall narrative development, but they do enforce the incredible sweetness that Simon, as a character, imparts. Lovely in its depiction of teen romance, the film insatiably feeds on familiar beats to succeed making its point—that everyone deserves a great love story—and to its credit, it does.
Sweet, gentle, and exuberant, ‘Love, Simon’ is packed with breezy warmth and lightness that make every heart it blows upon, fleet. There is a beautiful truth in its endearing message about ‘coming out’ and acceptance that truly inspires and liberates, and while this teenage romance plays just somewhere between a tender coming-of-age tale and a heartbreaking love story, the mix of emotions it musters, gets inevitably mind-blowing. 4.5/5
5 – Excellent
4 – Very Good
3 – Good
2 – Tolerable
1 – Terrible
‘Love Simon’ opens in cinemas May 9
