★★★★☆
IT’S crazy but also somehow not surprising for it to have taken this long for a major Hollywood studio-led, teen-aimed romantic comedy to feature a gay male protagonist to materialize. But here it finally is and it’s a bit of a progressive triumph indeed.
Based on the award-winning book by Becky Albertalli, it focuses on Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a 17-year-old high school student who has a perfectly normal life except he has “one huge-ass secret”: he’s gay. But it’s a truth he keeps carefully closeted from his family, particularly his loving parents (endearingly played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel), and tight-knit group of friends, namely best pal Leah (Katherine Longford).
However, Simon finds a kindred spirit when another student at the school starts posting anonymous messages on a blog under the codename “Blue” proclaiming that he’s gay. The two then embark on a secret online friendship in which they reveal more and more about what they’re going through.
But one day Simon’s world begins to shatter as screenshots of his email exchanges are leaked online, leading him to cope with the fallout of what should have been his story to tell everyone when and how he wanted.
From an insightful script by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker (TV’s similarly warm-hearted This Is Us), director Greg Berlanti (Life As We Know It) has made a genuinely heartfelt film about an important topic that undoubtedly affects countless teens in particular still trying to work out who they are.
It asks vital questions about acceptance, tolerance and acknowledged norms under the pretence of a conventional teen rom-com – “It doesn’t seem fair that only gay people have to come out,” Simon ponders at one point. “Why is straight the default?” But it never feels heavy-handed or in any way patronising. Even its unashamedly sentimental moments work a treat and feel wholly earned.
The eponymous character is a difficult, potentially two-dimensional role but rising star Robinson pitches it just right with a mix of charm and anguish. You really feel the torment he’s going through as both a relatable teen figure for many of those with allied stories and as a singular personality navigating his way through a life that’s getting messier every day.
Without making a fuss as a ham-fisted “issues film”, this is a quietly important Hollywood movie that should hopefully lead the way for more diverse mainstream stories to come. It makes an impact by being a sweet-natured, moving and genuinely funny mix of laughter and tears with something to say, articulated with involving and entertaining style.
Released on February 6
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