Darren Hess

All LGBTQIA+ kids need to see this as a beacon of hope. A stream of optimism and strength pervade the film, but there’s still a realistic dose of what it means to be a teenager, most notably the enormous psychological burden of being gay during that time. Nick Robinson’s Simon has the rare gift of separating his worst fears from his moral strength and obligations to those around him. He is, in short, the hero his parents purport him to be, deriving strength from the charmed life he leads and that he never forgets. I wanted to see more of Garner’s and Duhamel’s feelings as they spent time unpacking Simon’s coming out, but overall this film is a true reflection of how far film and TV have come in the 2010’s in their portrayal of gay characters who are not just tolerated, which is the best anyone could expect from a dramatization in the 80s, but also accepted, integrated, and celebrated in a community, albeit a privileged and educated one.