I took a Queer Theory class senior year of college where we got to do a final paper on a queer-related topic of our choice. I did mine on the E.M. Forster novel Maurice. Pronounced "Morris", this novel, which was written in 1913 and published posthumously in 1971, is the story of Maurice Hall, a thoroughly average--even boring--gay man who must negotiate his desires in pre-WWI England.
My argument was that this book is so radical because its hero is not. Maurice Hall is an average bloke in all ways except for one: his sexuality is literally illegal at the time this novel was written. What's more radical than taking "deviance" and turning it mundane?
And so, Love, Simon. Based on the novel Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Love, Simon follows the thoroughly average Simon Spier. Maybe "average" isn't really the right word to describe Simon, who is actually incredibly lucky--he has awesome friends and his parents are understanding and liberal in a way most IRL parents are not. So, as Simon holds onto his dark secret--he's gay--there's a background knowledge that if and when he comes out, the consequences will not be remotely severe. He will not be kicked out of his family's house. He will not be sent to conversion therapy. He will not be beat up at school. The only real consequence is that people will see the real him.
Some reviews have treated this as a failing of the story, as if severe consequences for being out of the closet make for more compelling entertainment. But, as black folks often grow tired of seeing movies about blackness tied to pain, bondage, and oppression, so I assume gay folks tire of films where coming out leads to banishment, violence, and death.
Sometimes it's nice to simply focus on the banality of teenager hood.
Love, Simon was good, but I didn't LOVE it. It was funny, but not gut-busting, touching, but not obliterating. The acting was solid, not great. It was average, much like Maurice. And in that way, it was forward-thinking. It imagines a world where the consequences for being gay are minimal and that no matter what happens, one will land on the soft pillow of a loving family and supportive friends. Some people live in that world, but not everyone--not by far. I wish everyone lived in this world, but alas we live in a world where a blatant homophobe is Vice President and gay rights--and especially trans rights--are not a given in many states.
I'm a proponent of women's rights and LGBTQ rights above all. But the LGBTQ rights fires me up more--most likely because it's not MY rights I'm fighting for, but someone else's. I'm not trying to act like I'm a saint here, but I truly feel a blinding rage when I encounter homophobia that I, weirdly, do not feel when faced with sexism. I liken it to the way I feel about my sister: challenge me, and I'll get mad. Challenge my sister, and I will fucking kill you.
So even though Love, Simon is far from my favorite movie this year, or any year, I can't help but love a vision of the world that makes it easy, average, and even boring for gay people. Where the biggest challenge is who to ask to prom and what to write your college essay about. Everyone deserves a boring, safe, average life. And so I admire those people who do not live a boring life--who struggled and suffered so that their children had it easier than them. Men and women and other people with a non-binary gender identity who put their lives and psychological well-being on the line so that someday a world of Simons will exist. Every human deserves to be a Simon, who is loved beyond measure and, in being loved, spreads that love outward. It's such a simple solution, and yet we still struggle to achieve it.
Grade: B
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