Love, Simon: A movie everyone needs to see

Written By Lauren Ortego, Co-Opinions Editor

I saw a tweet recently that really made me think. While I can’t recall the exact words used, it went something like this: “I thought I hated romantic comedies, but I realize now it was just straight people I hated seeing.”

With its well-timed jokes, awkward main character and diverse, all star cast, “Love, Simon” is the movie we’ve all been waiting for.

It’s doesn’t have a sad ending; it’s got all the set-up of a “regular” teen movie and it’s adorable as hell. This is all we’ve wanted. A movie that’s normally reserved for the likes of Becky and Brad getting together in a wacky way, but with a gay kid.

“Love, Simon” starts out with the main character, played by Nick Robinson, explaining that he’s just a normal kid, with a family that loves him and that he loves back, friends he’s been hanging out with since he could remember, a car, a dog, the whole shebang. But he has one big secret – he’s gay.

The movie introduces you to his friends, takes you through his high school, complete with an overbearing vice principal and a drama teacher that may have just been my favorite character in the entire film.

An online blog that one of his best friends, Leah (Katherine Langford), is obsessed with reveals an anonymous post made by a fellow classmate of theirs who is in the closet going by the name “Blue.” Simon proceeds to create a fake gmail and begins his correspondence with this mysterious guy, neither revealing their names.

As the movie progresses, Simon becomes increasingly anxious to meet Blue, and begins suspecting which classmates it may be.

All too often, public schools like the one Simon and his friends attend, can lack queer diversity – or, at least, feel like so. With the prospect of someone being and feeling just like he does, it makes sense that Simon would want to find this kid.

Here’s what I love about Simon – he’s presented as the type of guy straight people wouldn’t peg as gay. He wears dull hoodies, keeps to himself, is in the school play, but not the best actor, singer or dancer. He’s the antithesis of the straight man’s idea of gay.

There is nothing wrong with being flamboyant. Nothing. One of Simon’s classmates, Ethan, is presented this way, the kind of gay where they don’t even have to come out, we already know.

Unfortunately, straight people seem to think they have gaydar because they use those stereotypes to identify an LGBT individual.

But what’s most important about this movie? It’s the first step in normalizing queer people. Because as much as I loved “Call Me by Your Name” (and I’m not putting these movies against each other, because they were amazing and necessary), it’s kind of hard to relate to a rich kid on vacation in Italy for the summer. And it had ‘The Gay Movie Ending,’ which is always sad in some way, shape or form.

This was a sweet movie with a heartwarming ending. With scenes about coming out that bring straight people right into the minds of every queer kid too afraid to say something to their parents.

“Love, Simon” has already helped dozens of parents better understand their kids’ struggles, and two members of the cast, as well as Robinson’s brother, have come out during both the filming and since its release.

This movie is great because it’s just a kid, his first love and his friends who would do anything for him. Its cheesy, it’s funny, I laughed and cried. I’d watch it a million times if I could.

Go see it, take your friends, take your parents, take everyone. Because this is the kind of media we need young people to see, because they aren’t alone. Their frustrations are universal, and that validity is all one could ever ask for in a movie.