Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 16 March 2018
"Love, Simon" breaks ground with a radical ordinariness

By MIKE CIDONI LENNOX consume on a daily ba-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Love, sis. The first one out of the
Simon" is in many ways an gate always plays it safe;
ordinary high school film, the trick now is to keep the
one of those glossy, end- gate open."
lessly watchable and en- Others wonder if it'll even
tertaining romps made in make an impact with young
the vein of all those John people today. Daniel
Hughes classics of the 1980s D'Addario, writing in Time,
with a modern edge, like even questioned whether
the love-child of "Sixteen today's teens "need" a film
Candles" and "Easy A." like "Love, Simon," which,
But "Love, Simon" has one he writes, "Feels like a film
difference: The protagonist responding to an entirely
is gay. different culture, like one
And that fact makes the in which gay marriage was
film, in theaters Friday, a never legalized."
landmark release for major Berlanti said he believes
Hollywood studios. It wasn't that everyone has a "com-
all that long ago when its ing out" in one way or an-
director Greg Berlanti had other.
to fight tooth and nail to "Whether you're coming
get the first romantic kiss out about where you live or
between two men on tele- who you love or what you
vision screens on "Dawson's want to do, and the shame
Creek." He remembers he that's sometimes around
had to threaten to quit for that, and the fear that's
the idea to even be enter- around that, and then the
tained. That was 2000. empowerment of recog-
It wouldn't be until 2015 nizing that and saying it
when Becky Albertalli's This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Nick Robinson in "Love, Simon." out loud and realizing that
book "Simon vs The Homo Associated Press people will love you just as
Sapien's Agenda," about a much and that your life will
16-year-old boy who hasn't ty Bowen, the producers hunt for a fresh angle in the early on that, "There hasn't be more thriving as a result,
yet come out to his friends responsible for everything teen romance genre, they been a teen romance like I think, is something that ev-
and family, caught the eye from "Twilight" to "The Fault and Fox 2000 executives this." eryone can experience in
of Wyck Godfrey and Mar- in Our Stars." Always on the realized Simon's story was it. "I think they knew its impor- this film," Berlanti said.
"There is so much represen- tance and they had the But "Love, Simon" is undeni-
tation (of the LGBTQ com- desire to sort of do it," Ber- ably a major breakthrough
munity) in television, but, lanti said. "But I don't think for Hollywood, which is
for some reason, we've that they were as aware still lacking in meaning-
lagged behind in the mov- of the absence of feeling ful LGBTQ representation,
ie business and so it's time that sense of representa- and possibly the culture at
for us to catch up," Godfrey tion. And then as we all large. Remember last year
said. sort of started to look and when the "gay moments"
It's not that Hollywood see, you know, and actu- in films like "Power Rangers"
studios haven't centered ally check the figures that and "Beauty and the Beast"
high-profile stories around there really hadn't been. spawned dozens of think
gay protagonists, or even You know, I think we all pieces?
coming-of-age stories with collectively became more GLAAD's annual Studio Re-
a gay lead— just last year aware of the importance sponsibility Index found that
"Moonlight" won best pic- of that element." in 2016, only 23, or 18.4%, of
ture at the Oscars and And perhaps one of the major studio releases had
this year "Call Me By Your most groundbreaking as- any LGBTQ characters.
Name" was nominated for pects is the universality of And 10 of those characters
that top award. But most of Simon's story. were on screen for less than
those films didn't get "Love, "It just shows how far we one minute.
Simon's" reported $17 mil- have come in Hollywood, "It's about time that LG-
lion budget and a wide-re- and in general have come, BTQ teen love stories get
lease out of the gates. And to represent stories, tell the big Hollywood release
the slick high school come- stories like this, that I think treatment, and 'Love, Si-
dy was one that still hadn't many people can identify mon' does so in an enter-
yet been done. with, regardless of orienta- taining and heartfelt way
Film critic Guy Lodge called tion," said actor Nick Robin- that will resonate with all
the film "adorable," noting son, who plays Simon. youth," said GLAAD Presi-
that, "'Adorable' is not a The Wrap's Alonso Dural- dent and CEO Sarah Kate
word we often use when de said in his review that, Ellis. "Having a movie like
discussing LGBT cinema, "There's a place in the cul- this would've meant the
even at its most swooningly ture for adolescent gay world to me growing up,
romantic." kids to enjoy the shiny, shal- so I know how much it will
Berlanti, who is gay, remem- low coming-of-age stories mean to LGBTQ youth to-
bers telling Fox executives that their straight peers day." q