Friday, April 13, 2018

Coming Out, and Falling in Love with Simon.

Morning, Fam...


So, I was gonna write a bullshit post about the Connor McGregor gang roid rage and the UFC 223 fallout…until Joey and I watched Love, Simon.

Wow, where to go with this.  I can’t imagine being a) a teen and b) being a closeted teen.  Simon tackles both under duress of being outed by a frenemy with often sad results as he fights said frenemy with words and actions, while, fighting his worse enemy, himself, not knowing if his fam and friends will still accept him if he comes out.  Making matters worse, Simon has an online crush, who’s already come out.  The more he chats with Blue, the only name he has to goo by, Simon starts dropping subtle hints.  Will he come out all the way?  Will he find out who Blue is?  You gotta check it out.

Nick Robinson lands Simon with a quietness the role calls for.  His internal monologues and his words show the conflict brimming to come out.  His actions, his teenage actions, send everything to the boiling point.  Hopefully, he can come out on the other side.

In the real world, some come out the other side, and some, sadly, don’t.  

Getting personal, I’ve got a cousin, who, as far as I know, came out to the rest of the fam (meaning not his immediate) when he showed up with his then-boyfriend for our grandma’s funeral.  I wasn’t there for the announcement, but when Mom told Joey and me, I was like, “FINALLY!”  I’d known for years.  He never told me, he didn’t have to.  Growing up, he’s like 10 years older than me, so I probably wouldn’t know what “gay” was.  I knew he was different, I also knew he was fun as hell.  That’s all that mattered.  It was just that simple.

Anyhoo, Joey and I knew about Love, Simon since early last year.  It, Freak Show, and Showman were our wild cards this year.  They looked good playing the tolerance card, but would they stick the landing?  We hoped, and were happy watching the material be dealt with honestly and sincerely.

Where society is, Love, Simon’s pushes boundaries with its PG-13 rating, the topic being what it is, tends to be relegated to R territory like being gay’s identified only in adulthood and ONLY adults will understand.  Talk to people just a few secs, and you’ll quickly know otherwise.

I’d like to know how our gay friends came out if you’re game.

Be good to each other.

-J-

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