So often, I watch movies, enjoy my movie watching experience and leave with a smile on my face. Rarely do I leave a movie full of emotion and a new perspective on parenting. Only once has this happened before (Wonder is pretty epic) Love, Simon.
So what is Love, Simon about?
Love, Simon is a about a closeted gay, teenage boy who is trying to explore an online relationship from an anonymous classmate while trying to maintain a “straight” persona with his circle of friends.
What makes this movie groundbreaking?
Love, Simon is the first major motion picture to feature a gay teenage romance. It’s crazy to think in 2018 that this is the very first time we are seeing this type of movie go so mainstream, which is very exciting!
As Jennifer Garner (she plays Simon’s mother in the movie), puts it “…Our kids are growing up in such a different time where–my kids are growing up saying, oh, some day when I get married, I don’t know if I’ll marry a man or a woman. They really–that door is open in a way that it never has been. And they really do know, oh, this is so and so and this is his husband, and this is so and so and this is her wife. And that has completely been normalized for–at least for my kids and hopefully will be for this whole next generation.”
This movie helps provide a template for parents to have tough conversations with their kids. Times are changing and our reactions and conversations with our kids have to evolve as well. This movie reminds you as a parent that at the end of the day you want your child/children to be happy. Josh Duhamel, who plays Simon’s dad, encaptures every parents sentiments, “I truly just want my kid to be happy and be passionate about whatever it is that he loves. And if he happened–if he–if that–if he came out as he was gay, so be it, you know, if that makes him happy. I truly believe that that’s what it would be.”
What I loved about Love, Simon is that the topic for movie has been untapped in the major motion picture way but was delivered in a fun, witty manner. This movie is relatable for both parents and junior high/high school kids. I love this is a modern romance movie to support the growing LGBT population in the world we live in.
Thank you to 20th Century Fox for the invite!
Love, Simon is out in theaters Friday, March 16th
