5 Years Later, Love, Simon Is Still An Important Film

It’s hard to really explain how big of a movie Love, Simon was five years after its release. You definitely had to be there to understand the hype — anyone who wasn’t is probably scratching their heads right now, wondering how a movie that didn’t even make $100 million at the box office could apparently be so big.

And yet for a certain audience, Love, Simon was all anyone could talk about during its release. Celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris and Kristen Bell even bought out theaters for free screenings of it because they thought it was so important. If you already know what makes this film so special, you can probably already guess which audience this film resonated with most.

Based on the YA bestseller Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Love, Simon tells the story of a teen boy named Simon who is gay but in the closet. He does, however, have an online friend he confides in who he’s desperate to know the identity of, but when a schoolmate discovers this, Simon must adhere to his demands unless he wants the whole school to know his secret.

Notable as the first film by a major Hollywood studio to focus on a gay teenage romance, Love, Simon was a big hit among members of the LGBTQ+ community in 2018, especially the teenage crowd. It felt refreshing for so many to see a protagonist deal with the struggles of coming out, a struggle that is unfortunately still so difficult for a lot of people to this day.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before would release later that same year, and it felt like serious progress for teen romance films — one featuring a gay lead, and the other an Asian female.

Of course, Love, Simon wasn’t without its critics. Some claimed the movie was boring and underwritten, that the humor largely fell flat, and that Simon himself was a blank slate of a character. These criticisms are justified — the movie is far from perfect, and with coming-of-age films like The Edge of Seventeen and Lady Bird having released right before it, Love, Simon didn’t even feel like it was on the same level as these heavily lauded films.

Despite all that, though, Love, Simon still remained unique simply because of its focus on a gay teen protagonist. It even paved the way for more titles centering around LGBTQ+ characters. Ever since its release, we’ve received a number of coming-of-age entries featuring non-straight characters like Love, Victor, Heartstopper, and even Strange World, a Disney animated film with an openly gay main character of color.

It’s not a massive amount, but it’s definitely still progress, especially for Hollywood. And despite its flaws, Love, Simon is still a really good film. It’s funny, filled with likable characters, and many of its sentimental moments still hit home. The movie feels very much like a warm bear hug, especially to viewers who resonate with Simon and understand what he’s going through.

By the end of it all, you’re left with a huge smile on your face and a sense of affirmation that who you are is enough and worthy of love.

At the very least, Love, Simon leaves the community hopeful for even more films to come out just like it, and not just with a white cisgendered gay boy. It’s definitely happening in the YA book scene — more and more books are being published about teenagers of different races and identities, like The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar or The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper.

Given that Love, Simon was based on a popular YA book, this boom in diverse YA novels can only spell the same future for Hollywood films. The way many straight teens spent their evenings hugging their pillows while watching Sixteen Candles, Love, Simon allowed the same joy for young members of the LGBTQ+ community, making it a significant step towards a more inclusive entertainment industry. How can you deny the importance of a film like that?

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