What ever happened to the rom-com? Why hasn’t there been no good, light-hearted, adorable films about love to come out in the past five years?

I used to ponder these questions. I love romantic comedies. I love the cheerfulness of 13 Going on 30, the quirkiness of Bridget Jones’ Diary and the romance of When Harry Met Sally. In the last couple of years, no new release has made me feel the ways those movies do.

Enter Love, Simon.

Love, Simon follows 17 year-old Simon Spier as he navigates coming out as gay to his community and falling in love for the first time. It is cheerful, quirky and romantic as a true romantic comedy should be. And it was really great.

I was apprehensive to see it at first. I saw the trailer for it and thought it looked cute, but then I saw the words “from the producers of The Fault In Our Stars” flash on the screen and was immediately turned off. Fortunately I was wrong. While The Fault In Our Stars is full of obnoxious, pretentious characters and fake deep literary devices, Love, Simon has complex, likable characters and a sweet, socially important story.  

Simon Spier, played by dashing Nick Robinson,  is presented as just like any other 17 year-old boy. He likes to hang out with his friends Leah (Katherine Langford of 13 Reasons Why fame), Abby (Alexandra Shipp) and Nick (Jorges Lendeborg, Jr.)  and can’t wait to get to go college. From the outside his life seems perfect: he has a great family, a supportive group of friends, and a nice house. But no one knows he’s gay.

Using the alias “Jacques”  starts an online correspondence with another closeted gay boy at his school, with the moniker Blue. Over email, the two find solace and comfort in one another and gradually fall in love. But when a desperate theater nerd finds the emails, he threatens to out Simon to the entire school if he doesn’t get him a date with his friend, Abby. Conflicted, Simon must make hard decisions about what he prioritizes the most: keeping his secret or keeping his friends. Ultimately Simon and Blue meet in real life, adorably kiss on a ferris wheel and ride off into the sunset to finish senior year together.

If you love romantic comedies, or even if you just love a feel-good movie, you’ll love Love, Simon.

Rating: A-