We all know his friends are going to forgive him, regardless of how skin-crawling it is that Simon let an entitled creep harass and badger his friend, who is visibly uncomfortable with his presence in multiple scenes. Besides, Simon is never in any real danger of having to suffer consequences for his actions. By the time the script punishes him for his wrongdoings, we’ve already spent the majority of the film seeing women as movable chess pieces. Thankfully, the film calls out Simon for enabling Martin’s predatory behavior, but it’s too little, too late. Simon reluctantly goes along with this plan. The reasoning for his behavior is believable and embedded into the plot: He is blackmailed by Martin, a theater geek who threatens to out Simon unless he helps him “get” Abby. Specifically, I didn’t love seeing Simon manipulate his friends Leah and Abby. But despite their positive spins as modern women, they remain flotsam and jetsam in the tidal wave of Simon’s emotional upheavals. Simon does hold relationships with an array of women, such as his mother, younger sister, childhood friend Leah, and newer friend Abby-played by Jennifer Garner, Talitha Eliana Bateman, Katherine Langford, and Alexandra Shipp, respectively. The most complex characters are Simon and Martin and they drive the story’s progression while undergoing personal transformations themselves. The women of Love, Simon are second-class citizens in a film that centers the narrative of Simon (Nick Robinson) who grapples with male love interests and a male antagonist, Martin (Logan Miller). Assessment: 33% of creative decision-makers were female. It's almost impossible to turn away from the ear candy, quick pacing, and tried-and-true romantic setups of Love, Simon. I watched the film with tempered expectations the trailer was so saccharine, I couldn’t help but feel this was intended for predominately straight and older audiences-viewers dipping their toes into “queer media” for a self-congratulatory peek.īut as soon as the synth pop hit my ears, I dropped any preconceived notions about whether or not I would like the film, and I just. The classic markers of a teen drama are all present and resonant as ever: adolescent insecurities, friendships under duress, unrequited love, and subterfuge in the face of seemingly clueless parents. This milestone may be a long, long time coming, but it remains an important one to finally cross. But what Berlanti does borrow, he executes with expert precision, leveraging the familiar as launching pad for a crucial step forward as he helms the first LGBTQ film to see a wide theatrical release with the backing of a major studio (20th Century Fox). Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon is a simplistic film that borrows much from predecessors, whether major studio rom-coms or smaller films that feature coming-out storylines the likes of Maurice (1987) or Geography Club (2013). Writers: Original novel by Becky Albertalli □□□□□ and screenplay by Isaac Aptaker □□□□ and Elizabeth Berger □□□□
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