Some things are universal about being a teenager: the budding sexuality and sense of identity, the dramatic emotions, the profound need for acceptance and confusing inklings of first love.
Countless movies (and books and songs and TV shows) plumb the agony and elation of teen romance, but “Love, Simon” brings fresh perspective to the genre by focusing on an experience unseen in coming-of-age tales: what high-school first love might be like if you’re gay.
This film treats 17-year-old Simon Spier’s quest for love and self-acceptance with the tender, timeless, Hollywood touch of John Hughes: It’s a classic story of a first crush made groundbreaking by centering on a closeted gay kid.