227. Love, Simon; movie review

LOVE, SIMON
Cert 12A
110 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, infrequent strong language

I write a lot about being a 55-year-old married man, not being the target audience of some movies and, consequently, questioning the relevance of my own opinion about them.
However, while I can't imagine that Greg Berlanti had me in mind for his tale of teenage angst, I nevertheless enjoyed it.
Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson as the title character who has a big secret which he is keeping from his friends and family.
Yes, he is gay and has no idea how he is going to tell the world.
Robinson is an engaging lead, reflecting Simon's inner conflicts with great empathy while also capturing his good heart.
Jennifer Garner plays Simon's mum, who has a similar easygoing temperament, opposite Josh Duhamel as a father who would like nothing more than his son being an alpha male.
Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp and Logan Miller portray Simon's best friends to whom he would love to come out but is afraid of the consequences.
The plank of the movie is an anonymous post on a school message board by a student who admits he also has a sexuality secret.
This prompts Simon to correspond and speculate on who it might be.
His actions are the first lever to him coming out but also have devastating consequences.
Love, Simon is set in suburban America so the drama is played out against a backdrop of people who are well-off and have the houses and cars to show it.
However, what it does demonstrate that not everyone is entirely at home with their environment. Of course, coming out can be seismic but, as Berlanti's film shows, everyone has their challenges to meet - they just vary in type and potential trauma.
It is the type of movie which I would not usually appreciate because needy, gossiping teenagers are not my bag, but I thought it presented the context and complications of coming out in a really engaging way.
Indeed, I think it may strike a chord with young people in such a position.

Reasons to watch: An engaging movie about the complications of coming out
Reasons to avoid: The shallowness of teenagers may grate.

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Greg Berlanti: "When I came of age and came out, the internet was not as pervasive and social media wasn’t happening yet. So I didn’t have to worry about somebody seeing me out on Facebook and then telling my parents. I got to facilitate my own timing."

The big question - When will coming out no longer be an issue?

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