I saw the movie Love, Simon even though I normally don’t like anything young-adult. When other adults say, “You should try this, you will love it, it’s ‘young adult’ but it’s not really just for young adults at all,” I never end up liking the book or movie they’re recommending, and I always end up thinking, “Nope, that was indeed young-adult, and I have learned from repeated experience that anything young-adult is not for me.”
But Love, Simon is a young-adult movie, and I did like it. Part of it was definitely the low expectations: if you think a movie/book is going to be a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10 for you, but then it’s a 6 or 7, that’s a pleasant surprise. Part of it is that I think the movie was really nicely done, and that the actors did a good job. Part of it is that it reminded me of the movies I DID like when I WAS a young adult: Say Anything, Can’t Buy Me Love, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful.
Anyway, I liked it! I wished the main character’s family was not quite so unrealistically treacly: let’s all enjoy dinner together with supportive loving conversation, and then gather around the television for in-jokes and bowls of popcorn, and then tickle each other and run through the house squealing in a spontaneous pillow-fight, and then the parents kiss and the kids pretend to be grossed out but actually observe with happy eyes. So wholesome and loving! So much happy energy! Even adding just one single comment that was less than 100% joyous playful lovefest (e.g., “Come on now, hurry up, get your shoes on, we need to get going,” or “Okay, enough of that now, time for bed”) would have helped with realism. Instead it’s the kind of house where a child cooks delicious meals for fun but no one ever has to do the dishes.
And there was a scene with a teacher that is straight out of pure fantasy land. But! That is the kind of thing I liked in movies when I was a teenager! I WANTED those fantasy scenes: the hot boy finally stops pining for the hot stupid mean girl and notices his female best friend with glasses! the mean unfair teacher gets exposed and humiliated! the sweet nerds win a competition against the bullying jocks! etc.!
While watching it, I was wondering what age child it would be appropriate for, and I’m not sure. None of my kids have yet seemed very interested in teen-romance movies. My guess is that my 7th graders would be okay with it, but a lot of it would go over their heads; and my high-school kid and college-age kid might like it but not want to watch it with their parents.
I loved it and it was unrealistic and too perfect and that is what made it happy shiny fun. I kept noticing the money. They were mostly all upper middle class with perfect families, but it was escapism and cute and lovely. Happy sigh.
I really, really loved the book (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda); it was one of my fave YA reads last year. Recommend, if you found you liked the movie more than you thought you would.
I read the book and so did my 14 year old, and we went to the movie together and both loved it and both cried. I feel like the book does show a few more of the less shiny family moments, but it’s definitely a fun escapist family and not so much realistic.
btw, Leah’s book comes out this spring, and I CANNOT WAIT to see her get the love story she deserves too. :)
My almost 12 year old REALLY wants to see it and I’m wavering even though it’s PG-13 and our general rule is not until you turn 13.
My 11 year old wanted to see it, so I took her yesterday. There was some stuff that was definitely too old for her that went over her head (I hope) but we both loved the movie. The moment it was done, she said “Well, THAT’S my new favorite movie!” It definitely reminded me of the John Hughes movies I loved as a kid and I’m glad she has a good one of her own.
I just went with my 12 year old this afternoon, and he said he knew I liked it because I cried.
I liked that the dad made comments that showed he was a good guy but also not free from heteronormative bias.
Also that some of the sister’s food did not turn out well.
Shinier Waffle House I’ve ever seen
I hadn’t heard of it before so I looked it up and it sounds like something my 12 year old girl would really like!
Thanks for writing this! I’m not really a movie person, so I hadn’t been following all of this. Once I read your post, I looked into it a bit more— and now my GSA is going to take an informal, after-school trip to go see it! So fun.
My daughters (18 & 16) and I saw this yesterday. I did not want to see it, didn’t look like the kind of movie I would enjoy. But I really really enjoyed it! It was as you describe – a little too perfect – but still enjoyable. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to face super realism ALL THE TIME and just enjoy a nice story. And I cried several times – so I was a mess leaving the theater!