Jacques meets Blue

Movie Review over Love Simon

  For the most part, Simon’s life is totally normal. His dad was the quarterback in high school, and his mom was the valedictorian. He has a younger sister, drinks iced coffee, watches 90’s movies, and eats at Waffle House with his best friends. Everything is totally normal except he has a huge secret. A secret that has taken over.

    Love Simon is a relatable film about the average teenage life, but is also a beautifully constructed film about a boy named Simon who is facing society and learning how to live his new life when word gets out that he is gay. Throughout the film, viewers are taken on an emotional rollercoaster through laughter and tears. Not only is it the perfect balance of humor, sadness, and romance, it is also an empowering film that encourages adolescents to not be afraid to be themselves.

    The plotline of the movie begins with Simon going about his normal routine. He knows he is homosexual, and has known for a while, yet he has kept it to himself for years. When he finds out that another male at his school has the same secret, the two begin emailing each other under aliases. Though Simon has never met this mystery boy in person, and doesn’t even know his real name, he falls in love. When a classmate comes across their messages by accident, Simon is blackmailed and if he doesn’t comply with the blackmailer’s requests, the messages will be posted online for the whole school to see. Because Simon is afraid his mystery boy will disappear, he obeys and because of this his world turns upside down as friendships are torn apart. Throughout the whole film, Simon tries to guess who the mystery boy is. Hints are embedded throughout the plot line, but the result is eventually revealed, and it’s left to find out.
    Professional ratings vary, though the majority are positive. On the Rotten Tomatoes website the movie has 92% fresh tomatoes, and only 13 total rotten tomatoes out of all the critic reviews. The calculated average audience rating in a 4.5 out of 5.

    I personally loved Love Simon, and it is currently my favorite movie. I saw it once in theaters, and I enjoyed it so much that I went a second time. Typically I don’t rewatch movies or series while they’re still fresh in my mind, but this movie was just as good if not better the second time around. I was able to pick up on new details previously missed.

    All in all, this movie was great and I highly recommend it to romantic comedy lovers, or anyone in for a good love story. The reactions of the other viewers in the theater made the movie even more enjoyable and also made for a memorable experience. It is really great to watch in a group setting if the chance is presented.  

Madeline Sturdivant
Staff Writer