Love, Simon

Today I saw Love, Simon, starring Nick Robinson and Logan Miller.

Simon (Robinson) is a closeted gay high school student, scared to come out to his friends and family. He begins a secret correspondence with another closeted gay student and all is well until their emails become intercepted.

Without knowing each other's identity, they can't meet in person—at least not yet—and it's a race to keep the one person in-the-know from spilling the beans on both of them.

Simon is incredibly likable—he's a sweet older brother to his only sister, respectful to his parents and teachers, and genuine with his close-knit group of friends. He's someone everyone wants to be around, which is why it's so painful to watch him grapple with this dilemma alone.

In fact, what's very refreshing about the film is that nearly everyone (save for the "interceptor" and a few childish a-holes at school) is likable. We aren't hit over the head with hate, though there are prominent race and LGBTQ themes throughout the movie. As a viewer, I very much appreciated that.

Also refreshing are lighthearted scenes (one involving a Whitney Houston song is especially lovely) that are peppered throughout to keep it from feeling like an After School Special™or heavy drama.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer—you'll very much enjoy this movie if you go see it!

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Inside Out

Tonight I saw Inside Out, starring the voices of Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith.

Pixar has done it again. They've gone and created a visually stunning, colorful, magical film that not only pleases the aural senses, but pulls your heart out and presents it to you on a platter.

Riley (Katilyn Dias) is a happy-go-lucky 11-year-old girl living a cozy life with her parents in Minnesota until one day everything changes: the family moves to San Francisco for her dad's job.

She keeps a brave face and tries not to get too upset when the house they arrive to is nothing like the one they left, and the moving van with all their stuff is delayed. The emotions inside of her are fighting the good fight to keep her safe and content, but Sadness (Smith) keeps grabbing her memories and forcing them to change shape. In an effort to keep Riley from getting dismal, Joy (Poehler) tries to rescue those memories and in the process gets catapulted out of "headquarters," leaving only Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) to rule her feelings.

Soon Riley is miserable at her new school, mad at her parents and ready to run back to the Midwest where she can again find happiness. Joy and Sadness have to do whatever it takes to get back inside headquarters to prevent her from going too far down the dark path.

What an amazing metaphor for an adolescent brain!

Didn't we all feel like a crazy train wreck of emotions during those years? Or was it just me because my parents put me through a move when I was the same age as Riley's character? I'm bargaining that most young people—male and female—feel so much uncertainty as their mind and body matures that they're often overwhelmed.

The voice actors here are well-known, but thankfully it's not distracting, because they're so perfectly suited to their assigned emotion (especially Smith, who everyone will remember from the American version of The Office).

I laughed, I cried, I mused, I remembered, I reflected, I hurt, I healed... I loved this film.

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The Way Way Back

This morning I saw The Way Way Back, starring Liam James and Toni Collette.

Duncan (James) is a socially awkward teenager on summer break with his mother Pam (Collette) and her jerk-of-a-boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). They land in a sleepy beach town where Trent has a community of colorful friends.

Not wanting to have any part of 'family time,' Duncan escapes to the nearby water park where Owen (Sam Rockwell) gives him a job, and more importantly, a sense of place. Owen is a misfit in his own right, annoying his colleague/girlfriend Caitlin with his immature behavior. Owen and Duncan make each other better.

Rockwell is especially good, portraying a fun-on-the-outside, yet broken-on-the-inside man. As an actor, Rockwell is criminally underutilized, but here at least, he gets to support the leads with some depth.

James is also great as the nerdy boy, loved by his mother who is too preoccupied with her own relationship to show it. Collette and Carell, who played a very different couple in Little Miss Sunshine, have a familiar chemistry that allows them to convince us of both their infatuation and discomfort.

There's not much more to this film than the standard coming-of-age argument scenes, awkward family moments and kinda-sorta first loves, but that's okay, because it's so easy to watch.

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