Love, Simon came out in theaters this weekend, and really surprised me and many other watchers. I came in with the expectations of just another sappy romance movie, but came out thinking it was so much more! There were parts that prompted the entire audience to go, “Awww,” parts where you cringed, and parts where you wanted to stand up and clap, all because it was so real and true for so many people.

Love, Simon is about a regular 17 year boy named Simon Spier. He has three best friends that he does everything with, a happy family with his parents being high school sweethearts, and a sister that he loves. However, he is keeping a pretty huge secret from all of them: he’s gay.

He never felt the urgency to talk to anyone about it until someone anonymously posted on the school blog that he was closeted as well, so Simon began to talk to him over a fake email and got to know him. A crucial mistake leaves him in danger to be outed, so he does whatever he can to stop it. There are ups and downs, but it always shows that family and friends are always there for you and everything gets better.

I think that the movie was so new for the time and really breaking the boundary of what romance movies show and I loved it! Lately, it’s all been about a boy meets a girl and then fall in love and fight but they get back together; it’s so predictable and was getting boring. Then, director Greg Berlanti crushed it by changing all of that in one film. Two closeted gay high schoolers meet online and come out and go through it all without even knowing each others real names. Nothing is based on looks or cliques; it’s all based on personality and love.

I really liked how it was a wholesome family who enjoyed spending time with each other, and that he had friends that cared about him so much. Simon and his friends had rough patches, but this movie showed that no fight is ever too big to lose your best friends, and that true friends love you for exactly who you are.

I saw this movie with a boy who thought that this would not be “cup of tea,” but ended up liking it just as much as I did! This film is universal. There were so many jokes that made everyone laugh and you could just feel the positive and happy environment in the theater.

I would rate this movie a 10/10 because it left me with such a happy feeling. It’s definitely a must-watch for teenagers everywhere. I think everyone would enjoy it if you walk in with little expectations and let yourself be amazed.