'Love, Simon' normalizes a kind of love that should've been normal in the first place

"Love, Simon" is a coming-of-age, romance movie like any other — except it shows that LGBTQ teens can come out, endure the violent acts of ignorance that follow, and in the end, get the happy ending they deserve.

And showing this, a major studio-produced gay teen dramedy, in a country that decided to restrict screenings to 13-year-olds and up because of chaste, same-sex interactions may be the first step towards normalizing this love that should have been considered normal in the first place.

Peak twee story

20th Century Fox's latest foray into teen rom-com drama features Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a regular boy with a supportive family (Jennifer Gardner as Emily Josh Duhamel as Jack and Talitha Bateman as Nora) and amazing friends (Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Nick, Katherine Langford as Leah, and Alexandra Shipp as Abby).

There's just one problem: He can't figure out how to come out of the closet.

Everything changes when he encounters another closeted gay student at their high school, who came out through a Gossip Girl-esque communal blog with the name "Blue."

As Simon builds a rapport with Blue through the nickname Jacques, an unintentional accident leads to oblivious, cringey Martin (Logan Miller) discovering Simon's secret. He then threatens to expose Simon lest he helps him spend more time with Abby.

"Love, Simon" concerns itself deeply with Simon's journey and choices, reflective of the first-person nature of its origins as Becky Albertalli's "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda". Unlike the latter, "Love, Simon" creates enough of a personality for side characters to make them more than cardboards for Simon to talk at.

Indeed, "This Is Us" producers Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker's ability to write witty but heart-warming dialogue fit perfectly with the cast's peak twee acting, and this made watching Simon iron out the little wrinkles that form in his individual relationships that much more satisfying.

That isn't to say the central conflicts of the movie weren't as interesting or full of tension. But the overall tone and pattern of the movie didn't lend itself to pessimism, and so there was always a sense that everything will land safely in the end, for better or for worse.

Director Greg Berlanti, CW attractive YA series veteran, preserves a John Hughes-esque tone throughout the movie, meaning "Love, Simon" doesn't really reinvent the teen rom-com formula. What novelty he does bring is sincerity, as evident in how the movie navigates through the ugly parts of being and coming out as LGBTQ in high school.

The entire movie is a careful balancing act between its poppy, almost sanitized world that the New Yorker describes as persisting in "homonormativity" and injecting authenticity in the portrayal of Simon's feelings and struggles.

Fortunately, the movie lands on its feet. It's an entirely enjoyable experience that might not end up as the most memorable film ever but may inspire courage in those who find themselves in Simon's shoes,  or had passed through that difficult period without the same amount of support this fictional character had.

As an adaptation, "Love, Simon" is an effective movie that removed the most extraneous side plots and characters from the novel, and fleshed out characters who were underserved or excessively dour in Albertalli's original.

But the adaptation also removed some scenes where Simon explores his queerness. This may remain a sticking point for some of the book's fans, or those who may relate to The New Yorker's assessment that the moview leans towards "straight acceptance" than of gay love.

Nevertheless, it's still a step towards diversifying the kind of mainstream love stories available to teenagers — the very demographic that needs all the help it can get in figuring themselves out — and encouraging major film studios to take more risks and through those risks, give queer creators like Berlanti and actors the chance to tell stories they have lived through.

Fans who want more coming-of-age LGBTQ-themed movies can search through a rich back catalog that includes "Pariah" (2011), "But I'm A Cheerleader" (1999), and fellow YA-based movies "Geography Club" (2013) and "Freak Show" (2018).

Those who want to live more inside Simon's world can look forward to "Leah on the Offbeat," a direct sequel to "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" that follows Leah as she struggles with fracturing friendships, senior year, and her newly-revealed bisexuality.

A movie teens needed decades ago

The tagline of the movie, "Everyone deserves a great love story," is one it carries with pride from the beginning to the end, and it's a message that's positively affects the community and its stars.

As noted on Pink News, Neil Patrick Harris, Kristen Bell, and Berlanti bought out theaters for their communities to share the love.

Harris in particular said “How I wish something this brave, powerful, and confident existed when I was struggling with my identity – but how super awesome that a new generation will get to lead by this example."

What Harris described already bore fruit for the younger LGBTQ community, as evidenced by a Twitter user's mom finally accepting their bisexuality four years after they came out when Simon revealed his own sexuality to his family.

Petitioners are also working hard in Singapore to get the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) to change "Love, Simon"'s ratings from R-21 to a rating that will allow its target audience — teens — to watch it.

This movie won't move anyone who is predisposed to homophobia to accept their children, siblings, parents, friends, or whoever, but the reactions produced by the representation "Love, Simon" brings may be enough for the audiences that won't shun it outright. — LA, GMA News

"Love, Simon" is rated R-13 and will be distributed by 20th Century Fox in Philippine theaters on May 9.