One day when you walk to the Rebecca Stafford Student Center, you may come across an event where tables are filled with an assortment of treats, colorful balloons radiate against the brick facade and a photo booth filled with peers.
Every year in the fall, Sexuality, Pride, Education, Community, Truth, Respect, and Unity at Monmouth, (S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M) along with other on-campus organizations, hosts “Coming Out Day,” which celebrates diversity and erects awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Coming Out Day” is rewarding for the community, because it’s not an easy road to realization. When it comes to discovering your sexuality, you have to overcome many questions and obstacles to live the life you’d be most happy with.
That’s the case for Simon, played by Nick Robinson. Simon’s just like any other suburban high schooler: he has a close group of friends, gets along with the administration, loves his parents and is involved with activities like the play; but Simon has a big secret.
Simon is gay, but doesn’t feel comfortable telling anyone except for an anonymous person he starts to email at his high school.
His life is completely stable and Simon doesn’t want to put the relationships with his friends and family into jeopardy right before graduation.
The coming-of-age flick deals with an important subject, has well developed characters and an awesome soundtrack from executive music producer Jack Antonoff, but it gets corny down the stretch.
Like many other films that center around a character coming to terms with their sexaulity, thoughts swirl through Simon’s mind as to when he will come out and the implications of his announcement.
Nevertheless, how does Love, Simon stand out from the pack?
The film is set in high school where most young people may relate to Simon. Right from the jump, Simon tells us, “I’m just like you.”
The main character makes an effort to create a connection with you and lets it be known that you’re not the only one struggling to tell your secret.
Simon’s a loveable character along with the rest of his group of friends. Also, he’s the type of guy everyone at school respects.
His friends aren’t too popular because they care for one another rather than their image.
They’re reminiscent of the group of buddies I had in high school that I still hang out with today. We didn’t care about the cool kids who threw bangers in their parents’ basements or wore Obey hoodies for in the hallways; we were perfectly content with playing crappy Wii games all night.
When Simon deals with his sexulaity you’d think his friends would rally behind him, but Simon’s nervous to tell anyone. He’s content with keeping it a secret through emails he exchanges with an anonymous peer who’s also in the same dilemma as Simon.
Although Simon loves his friends, he makes poor decisions to keep the secret, which causes problems in his group.
Not only does Simon have a great choice in friends, but music as well.
Executive music producer and Bleachers front man Jack Antonoff picks a wide variety of classic tunes that range from The Kinks to Whitney Houston.
Antonoff also wrote “Alfie’s Song (Not So Typical Love Song)” with Bleachers as the main song for Love, Simon.
It’s an incredibly upbeat love song that captures what it’s all about to be young and in love that’ll make your heart flutter and dance while the credits role.
I was so happy when everyone left at the end so I could make the theater my own Zumba studio for two and a half minutes.
As for the story, once issues occur in Simon’s life, it becomes very predictable. Simon’s situation falls apart towards the middle and everything you’d think happens turns out exactly that way.
The main issue with Love, Simon is how cliche it is. The high school drama is juicy, but Simon’s coming out gets the Disney ending you’d expect. In the last half hour, cheese was oozing out of the screen.
Considering Love, Simon’s predictability, it fails to be authentic like other films that touch upon LGBTQ+ issues. For example, 2018’s Oscar Winning A Fantastic Woman feels natural with its story about a transgender woman who wants to pay respects for her boyfriend against the will of his family.
There isn’t a happy-go-lucky ending, the feeling of an agenda being forced or Hollywood putting their fingerprints all over the plot with everything falling into place at the end.
Instead, A Fantastic Woman genuinely shares its powerful message without all the melodrama.
If Love, Simon didn’t turn corny from the middle on, it could be one of the best flicks that centers around LGBTQ+ situations to take place in high school, but director Greg Berlanti plays it too safe.
Its hokeyness squanders its potential and produces more eyerolls than tears.
At next year’s “Coming Out Day,” take in the atmosphere. Yes, everyone is cheerful and enjoying themselves, but just think about what it took to get to this point.
The endless questions, sleepless nights and arguments might be behind, but it’s what made you the person you are today and the member of a community who strives for diversity.
IMAGE TAKEN from The Hollywood Reporter
