Let me preface this by saying, I'm a sucker for love stories of all sorts. I'm especially a sucker for romantic comedies - Give me a good, cheesy, rom-com and I am a happy gal. That said, this movie had everything I love about a romantic comedy - good humor, a relationship to root for, and an overall heartwarming story. It felt like a "You've Got Mail" (the classic 1998 Meg Ryan movie) for a new age.
We meet our protagonist Simon Spier as he introduces himself and his life - which is by all accounts pretty perfect. He has loving parents, a sweet little sister who loves to cook and bake, fabulous friends who spend all their time together, and for a kid in high school, life is pretty painless. There's just one thing - Simon has a big secret. When another student admits anonymously on a local blog that he is gay, Simon's interest is piqued. He emails "Blue" admitting that he is gay, too, and they begin getting to know each other through increasingly intimate emails. When someone discovers these emails and threatens to expose Simon, he jumps through a series of hoops, desperate to keep his secret safe, and hurts his friends in the process.
I teared up several times throughout this movie, and I was truly rooting for Simon throughout, even as he made mistakes and hurt those around him. I could understand where he was coming from and and why he did what he did. Overall I found the movie very enjoyable, as a rom-com for today's world, and I highly recommend!