Love, Simon is a Great Teen Movie! (Movie Commentary & Reaction)

Love, Simon movie commentary reaction
For this movie commentary & reaction we looked at Love, Simon. It's a very well told and beautiful movie with plenty of depth and nuance but is also quite simple and easy to understand
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[@trinaq]

Fun Fact: Simon's mum's speech of "You get to exhale now, Simon" wasn't in the original script, but Jennifer Garner wanted a scene where she connected with Simon.

[@rou966]

And it's arguably the best part of the movie

[@pascaleand0r]

I always tear up at that moment. It’s just so relatable.

[@syra1541]

it's so impactful

[@tariqthomas9090]

Trina Q always coming through with the fun facts❤️😁

[@samanthakate2117]

Best part of the entire film, watched this not long after coming out to myself and just bawled.

[@DarleneLesmana]

i know people like clowning on this movie, but it was a great way to show my mom the community without showing her media that is hella sad, graphic, or explicit

[@19Rena96]

Really? I really like it :)

[@kattahj]

I really like Pride (2014), and I think it's pretty accessible. Depends on how your mom feels about unions, though!

[@dianagoenaga7263]

Honestly, I think that just shows people actually enjoyed it. People make fun of Mean Girls and Twilight, both cult classics, but it's just so entertaining to clown them.

[@pamelatrusiewicz3613]

Literally, I've done the same thing.

[@readaholicgirl_5]

And now we have Heartstopper too!

[@SpookyBibi24]

In the book Cal is bisexual, which adds to his gesture of reaching out to Simon after he's been outed. I would have like if they've shown it in the movie too.

[@7_ty_]

I have never hated a character more than Martin. I know they try to make him sympathetic but as a queer person, I literally don’t care. What he did has literally ruined lives. Ugh, he gives me such the ick. Also, you guys should totally watch Everything Everywhere All at Once. It has great LGBT+ representation, Asian American representation, and it’s just an amazing movie. Michelle Yeoh is awesome

[@anjealousanaconda9692]

Literally!!! Martin could’ve gotten Simon killed

[@syra1541]

ive heard such good things about everything everywhere all at once but I have no idea what it's about, like idek the genre

[@7_ty_]

@@syra1541 It’s a mish-mash of genres! Science fiction, drama, comedy, etc. it’s amazing

[@syra1541]

@@7_ty_ oooooh hehehe

[@idk-ye7ur]

If he was a very small character, the movie would have been so much better

[@YehShuhu]

I read the book before the movie and it pissed me off how they made Leah like Simon because in the book she has a crush on nick and for that reason she doesn't get along with Abby that well at first. And in the second book Leah on the offbeat, she realizes she's bisexual and actually has a crush on ABBY

[@lancelotandmerlin]

oh that sounds so much better

[@icelily1761]

I absolutely LOVE the point Stef makes about Simon being gay but not "appearing" gay--I'm also bi but I (a woman) married a man and I dont do "typical" queer things. I very much am what they call "straight acting", but I'm not. It's just a part of me, although when I began my journey of discovering this about myself, I often wondered if I was really bi? And wondered if I was queer enough to be counted as part of the community? But I've realized how thats a load of bull, I am who I am and I don't need to fit the stereotypes to be considered part of the LGBT+ community

[@risacooper]

You just described me? Despite the married part :P

[@tiffanykim2773]

Well the flamboyant gay or queer person is after all a stereotype. Too many people use their sexual orientation as a way to define their personality and that's hella weird honestly.

[@kilian-one-l]

@@tiffanykim2773 No one is using their sexual orientation to define their personality. Feminine men exist. Flamboyant men exist. Get over it.

[@anjealousanaconda9692]

@@tiffanykim2773 the flamboyant ones are the ones who fought for our current rights

[@Leon.27.06]

it's interesting reading about your prespective being a straight passing person because i am too but not by choice. i do it to blend it and for safety. bi erasure is definitely an occurance from both queer and straight community. i'm sorry that at one point you felt like you weren't queer enough! but i'm glad you accepted yourself for who you are. it's okay to be straight passing and it's okay to be present gay because at the end of the day, that's not what defines you.

[@mitchellhp]

Love that Stef knew he would hate Martin the second he opened up his mouth 😂 Apparently Keiynan Lonsdale was not yet out when they were making the movie, but his involvement inspired him to come out afterwards.

[@trisofalltrades]

*All three* potential Blues in the film -- Keiynan as Bram, Miles Heizer as Cal, and Joey Pollari as Lyle -- have come out since the movie, actually! It's one of my favourite things about the film.

[@DoubleBlack2.0]

@@trisofalltrades Aww! I didn’t know this! Love that for them! ❤

[@AHealthyDoseofFran]

I both love and hate this movie cause, really?? Simon had to apologise when his friends abandoned him after being outed cause two of them couldn’t date straight away??? REALLY??

[@7_ty_]

Right? It felt like non-queer people writing queer characters.

[@silversmilegirl]

@@7_ty_ I don't know about the people who worked on the film, but the author of the original book is bisexual

[@GhostlyPB_Pug]

YES, Like he was getting blackmail and instead of going after the guy blackmailing, they got mad at the guy who’s going to get outed by blackmail.

[@specialagentweener1073]

I fully disagree... lol I get simon is a kid but the friends have a right to be mad that they got played with like toys. They have a right to their emotions when someone lies and screws with there lives...

[@tariqjohnson2154]

His friends are entitled to their emotions. They got lied to and were moved around like chess pieces so I get it. However, I stand on the fact that his friends sitting there and watching him get bullied by those two homophobes was way shittier than what he did.

[@laurajaynenolan2149]

I remember being at a sleepover with 9 school friends and one girl said “statistically 2 of us are gay” flash forward to now and we are all still friends and only one of us is straight 🤣 this was over a decade ago but it really makes me laugh now because the girl who said it was bi and everyone thought at that moment “oh my god, it’s me” 🤣🤣🤣 you are never as alone as you think you are 💖 the straight one was the only boy in the group as well (who everyone assumed was gay because he only had female friends).

[@bekahswanson]

I love that lol!!!

[@MishaHusnainAli]

Not sure if anyone else has noted this fun little bit of trivia but I always loved that the French version of Simon Says is “Jacques a dit” so Simon's alias is actually a pretty clever way to be hidden in plain sight.

[@hikaru78-]

Yeah 🙌 I read it in french and I thought it was explained in the book

[@shirsp4536]

In the book Blue almost immediately knows it's Simon because of this : ))

[@seiransilvite7840]

The you get to exhale scene always makes me cry, I never got a moment like that, it gives me comfort of that I deserve it too

[@browneyedgabi6030]

I really love this movie. Despite what some people have to say about the main character being white and middle class and how that's not very representative of things. I do like that this is just a sweet movie about a queer kid. It's not super dramaful…wellll it is, but that's because it's high school and people have hormones and act shitty and stupid. But it's not like someone's dying or getting physically beaten up; it's literally about teenage crushes and love and I just really like this movie. It gets me in my feels which isn't something that happens often but this is one of the movies that will.

[@abrielle13]

A lot of gay men are white and middle class. I can't believe people would think that's not an accurate representation just because they aren't ALL white and middle class. There's no winning with people 🙄

[@tiffanykim2773]

Would they have rather him be black? 😂

[@doveamor]

@@tiffanykim2773it’s more around that the fact that people are tired of the white and rich or middle class storylines, and how sometimes those don’t really feel relatable to the actual majority of people. And how white and rich or middle class people aren’t the only ones that exist.

[@syra1541]

@@doveamor well said

[@lisah8438]

@@doveamor I am black and I don't understand that criticism. White middle class queer people should not be able to tell their stories? I hate to say it but it does seem that people are becoming anti-white.

[@anjealousanaconda9692]

When I first came out to my parents I was prepared to be kicked out but wasn’t prepared for how isolated I’d become. They didn’t kick me out but distanced themselves over time. Before they’d hug and kiss your cheek dropping me off at school and now I barely get a handshake.

[@ancythomas_]

@Anjealous Anaconda I am so sorry that you are facing this situation. I hope that it will get better in the future. Take care. :)

[@TheGrossDemon]

God I love the parents reactions. Such wonderful expressions of unconditional love from a parent.

[@bel410la]

One of my favorite scenes is when Simon was yelling at Martin in the parking lot about it being his choice when, where and who finds out and I love that scene so much, the first time I watched I teared up. Because that scene is played so well, I love this movie and I think it does a great job showing everything that just because you dont 'look' gay doesn't mean you aren't.

[@Darkrose517]

This one small thing really bothers me in the transition from book to movie. Simon is relatively short in the book. Martin is tall, thin, but tall. Simon usually sees Martin as goofy, but there's one scene where he's looming over him and Simon is scared. It bothers me that they completely flipped that dynamic in the movie.

[@JT_From_Outer_Space]

THISSSS thank you i thought it was just me who's always been bothered by this

[@valentinafangirling]

We were kinda robbed of Nick and Simon in this movie. Nick was genuinely such a good friend even after the truth was revealed 😭😭 i think the gay bar scene was a deleted scene tho they did film it

[@gabyy21laverde]

When I came out it was so underwhelmingly wholesome 😂 I told my mom that I’m bi and she didn’t even blinked and proceed to try to guess who of my friends I hooked up with (btw, she was on the money 😂) and then she yelled at my brother “CAIO!!!! YOUR SISTER HAD SEX WITH NATALIA!” and my brother just popped his head in the kitchen and said “cool” and went back to the living room 😂 But YEARS before that my mom and dad made me some popcorn, sit down with me and asked me very seriously if I was sure I was straight 😂 so I guess I was the last to know

[@syra1541]

that's such a good story LMAOO

[@valentinafangirling]

It’s important to me you guys know: in the books Leah was genuinely in love with Nick. Simon tried ruining Nick and Abby bc of Martin but also thought it would help Leah. However all of them were upset about it. Leah though was always awful to Abby bc of the Nick thing, but eventually book 2 came from Leah’s pov and some of her feelings for Abby got mixed and they became a couple!! (So nick and abby break up :/). Nick was also a better friend in the book, when the truth came out, he didn’t turn against Simon. They went to a queer bar together even. He DID stay silent when he shouldn’t bc Abby was mad at him. But even Abby was better because she tried talking to him even when she wasn’t ready to forgive him. All the friends were better in the book, except Leah. I actually like Leah more here than the in book, she’s so mean to Abby and she’s mad at Simon for being friends with Abby too. She’s kinda insufferable on the book, even tho she annoyed me here too (for being mad at simon for being gay after she was in love with him??? Not his fault and not book canon). Also the book does talk more about how race plays a part too. Its hard on Blue for not being white and he speaks about it. Abby too, not being white and not high middle class.

[@SoapyTurtles]

So I think this is one of those movies that, while not being very similar to the book, still does it justice and did a good job at like, carving its own path separately from the book! So the book starts off immediately with Martin blackmailing Simon- like literally the book's first two sentences are, "It's a weirdly subtle conversation. I almost don't notice that I'm being blackmailed." Gets you hooked right away and it's just uphill from there! Also, the ride comparison in the books is a Tilt-a-Whirl, not a ferris wheel, but I actually much prefer the ferris wheel change! And the best part, which is one of the things about this book that has me coming back to read it again every once in a while: near the end of the book, Bram tells Simon that he pretty much knew it was him like... maybe a third of the way into the book. Bram basically says that the way Simon wrote his emails, certain ways he would word things and the phrases he would use was exactly the same way he talked in real life, so not only did Bram figure it out pretty fast, but even before their emails, Bram had an interest in Simon and was pretty attentive of who he was as a person. So while Simon is totally clueless, Bram is slowly figuring out that it's him and spends a lot of the book crushing on him in secret and giving him subtle hints that he knows. You go back and read their moments and, while Bram's not really being obvious about it, there's still that cute moment where they'll look at each other and the way it's worded, it definitely feels like a moment of "Simon wants it to be Bram and Bram knows that it's Simon." Harry Potter references aside (which you see so fucking much of in Young Adult literature, it's cringe), it's a very well-written book for YA standards!

[@hikaru78-]

why do you prefer the ferris wheel ? The fact there's like all the school watching is a irk for me. I liked the intimate way of the book

[@SoapyTurtles]

@Hikaru 78 Yes, I think making it a public event was a bad idea, too. The crowd was weird and uncomfortable. I meant like the ferris wheel metaphor that was made in the beginning of the movie and the symbolism of it was better fleshed out than the tilt-a-whirl was. That's just my opinion, though.

[@valentinafangirling]

Also Alex the theatre guy had these moments with Simon and he was bi!! And hitting on Simon!! But Simon asked directly if he was blue, and when he was told no he already had deeper emotions for Blue so he rejected Alex (they remained friendly tho!) he was not concerned about being confused as gay bc his character was openly bi. Most people didn’t know including simon, but he wasn’t hiding it either. He just flew by (prob bc he was bi).

[@lj4279]

21:56 As a black girl this moment had me weak, he just couldn’t stop himself. I was like that’s enough we get it.😭😭

[@introgeek5278]

I got outed by a complete stranger to my parents where they work, then I got dealt with that awkward situation. Then my mother ended up outing me to some family (the fun accepting ones) but it still never got to be on my terms.

[@brooklynellis7534]

i’m so sorry you had to go through that, i’m glad you were able to come out to us in the comment section on your own terms :)

[@rou966]

I told my mom my sexuality and gender questioning-ness in confidence, and her blabber mouth ran off and told my dad, the rest of my family, etc. Luckily they aren't the type to be aggressively homophobic but I still don't cherish the memories of my dad's laughter as he told me what a bunch of silly fake bullshit it all was. Point is, I get you. Even if our family's reactions weren't violent, we still deserved to have their knowledge of it be on our own terms, by our own choice.

[@SamSeth1996]

Yeah I have thought about coming out but after them using religion against me I decided against it. Outing someone out is one thing but changing ur mind about someone u love so dearly… then them saying ur going to hell???? Or etc it hurts cuz now…. I feel like I have to hide myself from them( btw my parents)

[@MonAhgasInsomniAroELF]

while obviously what simon did to his friends is a little shitty, i really do think being outed is so much worse than what he did to them, along with the psychological effect being blackmailed with that as the threat will do to you. the struggle of being queer and closeted and scared, and having someone use that against you, hanging it over your head, would make every day a living hell. it's the kind of thing people commit suicide over. trying to set up one friend with a guy who's a bit weird, and the other with a mutual friend, and having that all end a bit uncomfortably, just doesn't compare imo. his friends had a right to be hurt/upset, but i think they were a little overly upset and lacking in empathy, considering the circumstances and how very little ramifications what he did had on them, as opposed to how utterly irreversible and life-changing and psychologically damaging being outed is. then again, they are teenagers, so it's not that surprising that they somehow think they've been hurt just as badly as he was lmao. anyway, love simon may not be the best ever representation/lgbtq+ film, but it was still a nice one, and it undeniably helped a lot of people. i can very much relate to simon, being closeted and asexual panromantic, and trans to boot, but not appearing outwardly queer in any way... the things people say to/around me... god. all the little, seemingly inconsequential comments really pile up. and the fear of coming out to people, ugh. i'm out online, but to the majority of people i know irl? i've only ever told two people (and i'm not sure if i'll ever tell any more than that). one was a rando and the other is my mom. i'm so, so lucky my mom took it well and is so supporting. i know not everyone gets to have that. simon's case was honestly more rare (well, these days it's getting a little less rare thankfully). to anyone else struggling, whether you haven't come out yet, or you had the opportunity taken away from you, whether you have had a lot of support or none at all: it's going to be okay. even if there isn't anyone right now, there _will_ be someone in your life who loves you no matter what someday. don't give up. i won't either :) ♥

[@kiddo179087]

It falls under the radar, but I do love how before Ms.Albright comes up it looks like Garrett is about to get up and do something. Just the little things you notice.

[@CloisForever29]

One of my favorite movies. The ending always gets me teary eye ❤

[@joshuacoldwater]

This is an amazing film, so glad you chose this Sam. 😊

[@SamSeth1996]

To Sam: I have been outed by a coworker and since I was at work I couldn’t really yell at her. She told me” I should set u up with other girls cuz youre gay!” “ so so shut up! Don’t tell the whole world!” I don’t randomly yell at ppl at work but she outed me and what’s worse one of my friends outed me to their mom and my other friend( btw same friend at work)

[@rosemariesgarden]

Fun story: my ex best friend and I saw this for my birthday in theaters. It was so empty that we were one of 6 people there and someone was watching it laying down on multiple chairs.

[@datefig8606]

this movie is what helped me come out to my friends when it came out. ik we can make fun of it but it meant a lot to me for a long time

[@aliciabergman1252]

I don’t get why they didn’t stay more close to the book. There she was in love w Nick and not Simon if I remember correctly. And that first meeting scene wasn’t so public. Also it wasn’t so obvious who Blue was

[@neivilde.1242]

- i have my reservations about this movie, but it's still so cute. and i did watch all of love victor, even if it's kind of an average show, it's adorable that we get to see that simon and bram are still happily together in college in new york, living their best life - and the books will always be so special to me, cuz simon was the first time i really connected to a character, then leah even more! i always have to remind myself that the movies are separate bc i can't see them and not think about the fact that leah and abby are endgame lmao, they're my faves

[@tinyquokka]

excited for this one 'cos there are a lot of different takes / opinions on how simon + his friends were, always keen to hear what you guys think! thanks for the vid, and happy new year!

[@veeva99]

As someone who is Queer myself (I identify as Asexual and panromantic) I always really appreciate movies like this, if not for the fact that I can watch them with my friends and parents who don't quite understand why it was so hard for me to come out. The biggest struggle is the fear of change, of the unknown that is the deep abyss of the future. I didn't want anything to change between my friends an I, or my parents and I. I didn't want them to see me as a different person. I am from the Netherlands and my parents always taught me to 'live and let live', as long as someone isn't hurting themselves or someone else they can be whoever the fuck they want to be. Yet I was scared of coming out because I thought that maybe, just maybe, that whole thing wouldn't count for me. The whole 'not in my backyard' kind of idea, you know. I have been out of the closet for about 4 years now, I was 19 when I came out of the closet (while I was in my last year of high school). I'm still exploring myself and the things that I like and dislike because let's be real even when you understand your sexuality and are open towards it, you still have to catch up on the years of doubting yourself.

[@dstodd]

Thank you so much for this comment because it was so incredibly difficult to explain to my mother that even though she is possibly the most accepting person ever, its still possible to be afraid that you will be the exception.

[@torijeri]

this movie made me very sad when i first watched it mainly cus i watched it at a time when i felt stuck and closeted. this movie and the heartstopper series both brought up so many repressed emotions it takes a lot for me to actively watch it. i’m still not out publicly or to most of my family, my mom knows but that convo didn’t go so well. so seeing something like this with him having a loving accepting family was something i wanted so badly. i was also outed in college by a roommate which in itself added on a lot of issues so lol but i think im slowly getting there now as an adult. maybe my 2023 resolution is to finally do it cus i’ve been wanting to be open for so long and im at the point where i just feel tired of hiding yk?

[@jacksonpoole13]

this movie honestly saved my life back when it came out. i had only come out really recently at the time, and was super depressed. this movie made me feel so understood and was such a beacon of hope for me. i think i saw it like 5 times in cinemas haha. thank you guys for reacting to it 💙

[@TippedScales106]

OMG! I truly appreciate the fact that you both understand the reaction of Simon’s friends instead of making them out to be bad friends. I feel like everyone else I’ve seen react to this movie got mad at his friends because they didn’t ignore what he did to them and immediately “support” him

[@narutosraman]

They were still bad friends for abandoning him when he needed them most. They’re old enough to understand yes two people can have two different problems but his was clearly way worse than a white lie that prevented them from dating for two seconds. They had a right to be mad and not ignore what he did, they didn’t have a right to abandon him and make him apologize for being blackmailed and never apologize themselves. Being outed ruins peoples live, it could get them killed. That’s in no way comparable or deserving of being ignored in favor of a postponed date. Seriously?

[@valentinafangirling]

They were awful friends pls. Even in the book, they were mad at him but didn’t throw him to the wolves. And Leah’s excuse to be mad was kinda pathetic :/

[@crystalrose_pa]

I'm kind of in a middle ground on this - I didn't expect them not to be mad (and rightfully so), but I also don't think they needed to completely abandon him during the hardest thing he's had to go through. You can be mad at someone and have to work things out AND be there to support them. But then I also remind myself that they're kids and they might not be to that level of emotional maturity yet.

[@valentinafangirling]

@@crystalrose_pa when this movie first came out i was fresh out of high school. So as someone at their same age, me and my friends all thought the friends were shit🤷🏽‍♀️ they were better in the book too. The book has nuance on their reactions and how much they did step in to support (except Leah). Meanwhile everyone gave him the cold shoulder in the movie

[@joycor1419]

@@narutosraman That’s how I see it too. Yeah, it’s hard to just get over how Simon’s actions even if he was being blackmailed really screwed with their feelings but Simon was so obviously in a huge crisis even before they abandoned him. Couldn’t imagine totally ghosting him during that.

[@bookishbutterfly]

If you have Hulu, "Love, Victor" is a spin-off series that follows a Mexican American high schooler. I love it

[@veeva99]

In regions without Hulu, it's on Disney+ as well. That's where I watched (and recently rewatched) the serie

[@jaberjaws00]

I havent seen this movie but thoroughly enjoyed the commentary. You guys are funny and genuine and insightful. I love it

[@mariahwatts3468]

This was one of my favorite books when I was a young adult. The book is titled Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I highly recommend either reading it or listening to the audio book (I've done both the narrator is fantastic)

[@hsmorg3640]

Fun fact, iirc: Nick Robinson (the actor who plays Simon) has a gay brother, and he did this movie for him

[@02291992mm]

Jennifer's exhale part always gets me 😭😭😭 she's such a great actress

[@chellymac16]

I agree more with Stef here. Yes, Simon was wrong for what he did, but Simon thinks that if it comes out, his life is gonna change and everyone is gonna look at him and treat him weirdly so I can't blame him for doing what he thought would keep that from happening. I think 85% of the blame is on martin and 15% on Simon if anything. You can't truly understand his position unless you've been in that senario and I feel like Stef has a little bit more expertise here.

[@Serenity113]

Simon’s friends pissed me off so much in this Lol I get that they’re teenagers but seriously? They were mad cuz they couldn’t date? They couldn’t see that Simon was being blackmailed?

[@alexneedstoknow1849]

Means so much that y’all chose this movie! Sending love and positive vibes

[@grace.3066]

Seen every one of your videos five times over and can honestly say I love your channel!! You guys are so charismatic and wise, it's lovely hearing your perspective on all of my favorite films (you have no idea how much I freaked out when you covered Easy A). As someone who loves your content but lacks to funds to access your exclusive content (for now), I thank you so much for your dedication to your public channel, and am so grateful that you choose to share these projects here on youtube. I can't wait to see what you guys do in the future! Go Movie Budz!!!!

[@themoviebud1988]

Thanks so much Grace, we really appreciate it! 😊 To be clear though, we don't have any exclusive content. Our membership tiers have some perks, but they're not extra content. Just some fun bonuses. Any actual content we make will always be publicly available - Sam

[@maddybordner8122]

Every time I watch y’all’s videos I think about how insane it is that y’all don’t have more subscribers. Y’all are just so warm and welcoming. I’m writing this out on American (idk if it’s different for y’all lol) Valentine’s Day, so happy Valentine’s Day to y’all!!

[@spangelicious837]

I think that actor actually came out while they were filming the movie. I love this movie, and the book. I don't particularly like a couple of changes they made for the movie, but I get why they did it.

[@itgirlsquiliam4784]

Your videos have really made my year so much better. I hope you both have an amazing 2023

[@laurajaynenolan2149]

Great reaction guys 😊♥️ loved hearing your take on this one x

[@themoviebud1988]

Thanks Laurajayne 😊 - Sam

[@ILaFiesta97]

Okay, I get that they tried to make Martin sympathetic, and I get he's "just a dumb teenager" but like... As a queer person, who was outed, in highschool, I can't feel even slightly bad for him, or any sympathy at all for him, because it sucks, it's the worst thing you can do to someone who's closeted, not to mention the whole blackmail thing that came before it. So yeah, no, I can't. I think this movie showed the anger and hurt and pain that comes from being outed so so well in Simon's outburst against Martin, the first time I saw that scene I broke into tears. That and Jennifer Gardner's "You get to exhale now" line were the two moments where I completely broke down when I first watched this movie. So good.

[@shannygh]

You NEED to react to The Half of It. It's such a good female teenage queer romcom and probably would have changed my life if we'd had that when I was in my Aussie high school.

[@tia7737]

Honestly, I like this film BECAUSE it’s not a lot of peoples experience - it’s so cathartic and bittersweet and kind to experience Simon’s journey, especially those moments with his parents, if you haven’t or know you won’t get to have that kind of peace with your own family or community. The only issue I have with this film is that they really wasted Simon/Blue’s relationship (and Keiynan Lonsdale as an actor tbh). It was all more fleshed out in the books, and although Blue wasn’t ready to come out yet, he didn’t cut off Simon when Martin outed him and posted the emails. He stuck by him and supported him through it (anonymously obvs) then came out later to him and revealed who he was when he was ready. While I totally get Blue’s motivation in the film to cut him off, it just added to the lack of interaction/development they had overall which kinda sucked. Plus, the movie ending was more of a flashy spectacle, versus this quieter and more intimate (plus funny) moment between the two of them on the Ferris wheel in the book. Other than that, though, excellent film! Also - the sorta sequel series Love, Victor addresses a lot of those more intersectional experiences missing from the movie. I’ve only watched the first season but I’ve heard the whole thing is pretty good. Might be worth a watch for those who felt like Love, Simon wasn’t as relatable!

[@d.eliiii]

This is a great reaction/commentary, y'all . I actually really really really loved this movie! And I always love hearing your thoughts. With that being said - my life would be complete if y'all reacted to Everything Everywhere All at Once. That movie.... I think yall will LOVE it. ❤️

[@COSun25]

This is awesome that you're covering it. Are reactions for the sequel streaming TV series 'Love, Victor' on the horizon?

[@ObserverAmanda]

They have said a few times in the past that would like to do TV shows (as a separate thing), but have no current plans.

[@dontdeletethexos]

My favourite part of this film is blues face when Martin confesses to being blue, he's like "bitch please" 😂

[@peaceyisrael7386]

I know u guys dont do shows but love simon has a show called Love Victor which explores sexuality within an Hispanic household with parents struggling trying to deal with their sons sexuality as well as conflicts of their religion. I belive you guys would love it so much.

[@thynottea]

i love love, simon so much!! i remember watching it on a plane ride for the first time and i was crying so much, it really is a sweet movie.

[@lpchambers3681]

About the movie watch scene- I actually started watching Bridgerton with my MOTHER when it came out while I was in high school. We didn’t make past episode five before we split up… don’t watch sex with your parents, it is absolutely horrible…

[@Silvern7552]

Plz do one for The Half of It or The Fallout, two great movies that don't get enough love.

[@lpchambers3681]

My mom has a banana allergy and she can only eat green bananas cause they don’t hurt her mouth- don’t come for my mother and her bananas!! She also eats human flesh but that’s none of you business…

[@lovely_fish3233]

I love this movie , but I love the book more. I feel like the book is much more accurate to what school was like growing up gay. Also there date in the book is so much cuter. Eating Oreos in the car while it rains, watching adventure on lunch break.

[@relaxationstation7634]

37:40 "Being so into one person that it almost kills you." *THIRTEENTH REASON WHY*

[@pageblank3323]

I get simons friends being pissed at him but (apart from Abby who I think has a right as a black woman whose autonomy was being used as a bargaining chip by two yt boys) I think they were very wrong to continue ignoring him when he was being hate crimed and needed them. I’m not saying they have to get over it, but I am saying he apologized and they should’ve been there for him even if they were still pissed off.

[@torontomame]

Every woman who's autonomy was used as a bargaining chip should be bothered, regardless of their race. And you misspelled "white".

[@fambi1271]

As "straight passing" myself, this movie gave me a lot of confidence. I still get people telling me "I had no idea" even though I openly talk about being queer through jokes or h Who I'm seeing.

[@Servingourstories]

I've been wanting you guys to react to Love Simon for so long, I'm actually crying right now. This means so much ❤️

[@chelsea9483]

I’ve never seen this movie and I’m so glad I got to watch it with your reaction! It was SO good 😍

[@lbierman21]

He's a VICE principal? Such an unintentional slam hahahah

[@lilly50821]

this movie is so good. it’s exactly what middle school me needed.

[@samalberino669]

After watching this movie when it came out in theaters it gave me the confidence to come out to my close circle of family and friends

[@josefinelagerstrom2643]

We miss you guys! ❤️

[@SereneDreams1]

I still cry everytime. I love this movie so much!

[@morganconway4415]

Green bananas are actually easier to digest for a lot of people, they just aren’t as sweet and mushy 😊

[@MishaHusnainAli]

Absolutely hate that they tossed on Leah being into Simon in the movie. In the books, she is absolutely not into him and has her own reasons for feeling like an outside (we see more of her life as a child with a single mom and coming out as bi).

[@CallMeSkinny]

Yay! Thank you Budz. I was refreshing my feed for something to watch, but I didn’t know I would strike gold!

[@doorattachment6926]

Jennifer Garner in this whole movie is amazing when I told my family my mom responded exactly like her. Will always love my mom for that she passed away 6 years ago but I think of her everyday. It took a long time for my dad to come around there was times that he still said things that would hurt the shit out of me he's anti gay and a racist. We don't really talk even when I try to. But it's o.k my had my mom and my two sisters are proud of me that's enough for me.

[@dredyoung1]

I was doing stuff so KZbin was just playing in the background moving from video to video. So this one is playing and I start to pay attention . As I do Jennifer Garner says "you get to exhale now" and whoa what a line

[@henninggirl261]

I’m now stuck picturing Buster Bluth as a hook-handed high school principal.

[@bekahswanson]

Immediately what I thought!! lol

[@dinkerz]

I never read the books nor seen this movie, so my two cents are based off these snippets. But I think the adults are so open about their sex life to exaggerated the whole argument of saying kids are gay is over-sexualizing them, but then ignore how much people actually needlessly over sexualizing heterosexuality around kids. I also think the scene where the dad pointed out that Simon was wearing a girl sweater was to imply he thinks Simon spent the night having sex.

[@besupaaa]

Sorry, unrelated but I loved the combo of black in Stef's nails / jacket / jewelry and experimenting overall 🖤 and also unrelated but sometimes I spend part of your videos trying to read Sam's arm tattoo but I could never figure it out. 🇧🇷

[@christinagrieser5664]

Never watched that movie but I really liked it. It was good storytelling and the characters are relatable. Thank you for your commentaries, I really like yours best out of them all. Lots of love. Christina

[@LetsKei]

While it's a fun movie, I have to be one of those people pointing out that the book is better. I understand why they made some of the changes for the adapdation, but they still feel a bit meh. Especially Simon's sister and the ending. Still a good movie and, of course, reaction!

[@browniewin4121]

This is a good movie, I'm not queer but I appreciated this movie. I also think good movies for everyone to see are: Torch Song Trilogy (1988), The Wedding Banquet (1993), The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), Soldier's Girl (2003), Kinky Boots (2005), The Way You Look Tonight (2019), and Flawless (1999) that I don't think is flawless but is a movie worth watching.

[@angiem6674]

I made my friend watch this for the first time last week bc I saw it in theaters and I loved it but it meant I had to sit through the existence of Martin once more

[@peyton8242]

Going to see this movie was my first experience being somewhat-yelled at in the theatre. I had gone with two of my friends at the time and one of my friends, during the sad crying scene, had said "why is she crying" in a certain tone that caused the person in front of us to snap back and ask us to stop talking because she's trying to enjoy the film. I and my other friend were not talking, it was just the one. Afterwards they apologized to each other, but it was still pretty oof I love this movie though

[@HBoyle]

God I love this movie. Is it flawed? Yes. It isn't perfect, but it's so heartwarming to have a mainstream queer teen romcom that, at the end of the day is just genuinely sweet, and isn't sad. Queer people existing as characters first is so rare to begin with and the fact that a major studio did this opened the door for so many more. Maybe Simon's story isn't yours, it certainly isn't mine, but I'm seeing so many more queer teen books now that maybe there will be a movie about a Pan/Demi, half-Mexican, half-Irish, lower class, neurodivergent girl. Now, when are we getting the musical.

[@ganapatikamesh]

My niece and several of her friends went to the movie theater to watch this film. When I asked her a few days later how the movie was she said it was great and I should watch it. She had read the book and I asked how it compared to the book and she said she likes the movie better than the book, which is high praise for a film based on book as far as I am concerned. I waited until it came out on DVD and bought it and watched it and definitely loved it. It’s the kind of gay teen movie I wish I had gotten to see when I was a teen (the closest I got was Clueless which briefly has the gay character in it that came out my freshman year in high school). This movie definitely takes me on a rollercoaster of emotions from angry, sad, and so on while watching, but I still enjoy watching it from time to time. I definitely waited until my first year in college to come out. I went to a rural school (literally the schools are surrounded by wheat fields and not within any city or town). The entire school, from pre-kindergarten to seniors has around 300 students. The average graduating class is 15 students (my class remains the largest to ever graduate at 56). While I know that my closest friends and some teachers would’ve been supportive, I also knew there would be plenty who were unsupportive and so waited to get out of that environment. When I got to college is when I began meeting other LGBTQ+ people, many of whom I’m still friends with all these years later! Great reaction and commentary! I always enjoy watching your videos whenever they pop up in my notifications!!

[@E_btsot798]

my best friend and I first saw it in theaters and I was crying by the end and my friend was angry by the end... The mom's speech got to me.... and i dont know if you'll recognize some of the actors but Blue is an actor who was on the Flash he was Kid flash

[@wordywolf3]

I love this movie and still really enjoy it, though I'm a bit more critical of Simon's friends than either of you. I think it's because I personally have a line for when my friend's hurt (i.e. simon being outed, harassed by the a-hole students, etc.) outweighs my personal hurt (i.e. the romantic manipulations etc.), and that line got crossed WAY faster on my scale than it seemed to for his friends, and I do judge them for it. HOWEVER. I do love the movie. Weirdly, the dad convo made me cry way harder than the mom convo? possibly because it seemed more real? or maybe I'm projecting, idk. Anyway! love it, can't wait for the next one.

[@noelle2k3]

20:28 I’m wondering if that was intended to be a microagression. The history behind black people loving grape flavored things especially grape soda is a stereotype.

[@kylasworldview1]

Well done, Budz team! Five vids in a month! Great choices too. Happy 2023 to you all 🎉❤👏🏻✨

[@meoof5925]

his friends have every right to be upset but he was literally being blackmailed which meant outing which meant POTENTIALLY HAVING HIS LIFE IN DANGER. they were acting like their problems were objectively worse when there are people in their school that could beat him up.

[@tiyabear]

So there are times in life where I feel like you should try to do emotional triage. Like, Simon's friends had some right to be annoyed but him being outed felt like a slightly more pressing issue. He didn't do it because he wanted to be a puppet master he did it with a sword hanging over his head. And Simon was the only person who really got mad at Martin when they could've/should've all been plotting revenge on Martin together. In the book his friends are more supportive and defended him even though they didn't like that he helped Martin, but here it sucked to see them just not reach out to him after what happened in the cafeteria after they'd known Simon for years. It sort of made me feel like Simon just needed to find new friends in college.

[@rainey1987]

Awww I’ve never seen this movie. I’m so glad kids today have this. I grew up in west texas in 2003 being one of the only out gay people at school, I can only imagine what having content like this woulda been like

[@DavidSmith-ez4pk]

I had a similar experience to Simon, in that someone tried to blackmail me. He chose to make out with a lady in front of our place of employment but was married to someone else. As his superior I had to address the situation. He threatened to tell everyone about my "big secret". I told him that everyone who could get me fired already knew all about me, so go for it. It's shitty that instead of coworkers asking me about my life, they chose to talk behind my back. I've always been an open book but have never announced that about me as soon as I meet people. It's always the person choice when, where, and to whom to come out to.

[@MasochisticMaiden]

Overall I like the movie a lot, there’s plenty of changes from the book universe but I separate this from that. I even thoroughly enjoyed the spin-off series Love, Victor because it was able to expand on the characters - less restrictive in time compared to a single film but this film still managed to build a bit onto the characters in the time given. I definitely saw this in theaters about 10 times, was also excited to see Keiynan Lonsdale as Bram.

[@judithcure2255]

I love this movie and I understand that what Simon did was shitty but his friends didn’t stand up for him at all, they suck! I don’t care how mad I was at my friend I would never sit back and let them be treated that way.

[@serenaaav]

I will always stand by the idea that Simon’s friends suck.

[@jenthejen]

Great choice Sam, this reaction was hilarious 😂 I’m obsessed with the music theatre teacher

[@fernandaparraguirre5237]

first person i ever came out to face to face was this dude i was friends with but not close friends, specifically cause i wanted to be sure that if his reaction wasnt positive it wouldnt crush me. i had no reason to believe that those closer to me would have a problem with me being queer but it didnt matter, i still needed a safety plan. seems like it should be the other way around, but it really is easier to take the risk the less you know the other person