# Love, Simon

Love, Simon is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Greg Berlanti, written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, and based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Abertalli. The film stars Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, and Jennifer Garner.

## Simon Spier

* I'm just like you. For the most part, my life is totally normal. My dad was the annoyingly handsome quarterback who married the hot valedictorian. And no, they didn't peak in high school. I have a sister I actually like, not that I'd ever tell her that, and last year, and 200 episodes of Chopped ago, she decided she wanted to be a chef, which means we're pretty much all her test subjects now. And then there's my friends. Two of them I've known since pretty much the beginning of time, or at least kindergarten. One of them, I just met a few months ago, but it feels like I've known her forever. We do everything friends do. We drink way too much iced coffee, watch bad '90 movies and hang out at Waffle House dreaming of college and gorging on carbs. So, like I said, I'm just like you. I have a totally, perfectly normal life. Except I have one huge-ass secret.
* There's a really thin line between laughing with someone and laughing at someone. And you are that line.
* I've been thinking about why I haven't come out yet. Maybe it's because it doesn't seem fair that only gay people have to come out. Why is straight the default? Or maybe it's because I can't be sure this whole "being gay" thing is forever. Or maybe it's that there's not that much of high school left and part of me wants to hold on to who I've always been just a little longer. And then, when I go to college in Los Angeles, I'll be gay and proud, I promise. I'm not sure who I'm promising. I'll keep ruminating.
* Simon means "the one who hears" and Spier means "the one who sees", so you put that all together and pretty sure that means I was just destined to be up in everybody's business.
* I'm gay. And I don't want you guys to think anything different. I'm still me.
* I came out to my entire family on Christmas. It didn't go great. And I've been avoiding my friends the whole break for all sorts of reasons. Change is exhausting. I feel like there's nowhere to hide from all the newness of everything.
* I don't care if you didn't think that my coming out was gonna be a big thing, Martin. Look, you don't get to decide that. I'm supposed to be the one that decides when and where and how and who knows and how I get to say it, that's supposed to be my thing! And you took that away from me.
* Dear students of Creekwood High School, as anyone with a half-decent data plan already knows, a recent post on this very website declared that I was gay. The delivery left something to be desired, but the message is true. I am gay. For a long time, I was killing myself to hide that fact. I had all these reasons. It was unfair that only gay people had to come out. I was sick of change. But the truth is, I was just scared. At first I thought it was just a gay thing. But then I realized, no matter what, announcing who you are to the world is pretty terrifying, because what if the world doesn't like you? So I did whatever I could to keep my secret. I hurt the best, most important people. And I want them to know that I'm sorry. I am done being scared. I'm done living in a world where I don't get to be who I am.
* I know that you've been pretending for so long it's hard to believe you can stop.

## Blue

* Sometimes, I feel like I'm stuck on a Ferris wheel. One minute I'm on top of the world, and the next I'm at rock bottom. Over and over, all day long, because a lot of my life is great, but nobody knows I'm gay.

## Leah Burke

* I think I'm the kind of person who is destined to care so much about one person, it nearly kills me.

## Martin Addison

* Sorry to interrupt, but I have something to say that's a little more important than the national anthem. No offense, America.

## Dialogue

    Nick: Who are you guys supposed to be?
    Simon: John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
    Nick: Oh, I thought she was the girl from The Ring and you were Jesus.
    Simon: Jesus? No, why would Jesus be wearing a white suit?
    Nick: I don't know, you tell me. You're the one who decided to dress up like fancy Jesus.
    Simon: Do you miss trick-or-treating?
    Leah: What, you mean instead of, like, going to loud parties, pretending to like the taste of beer and feeling too self-conscious to dance?
    Simon: Who are you supposed to be?
    Bram: Oh, uh, I am post-presidency Barack Obama. So I'm just chillin' in Hawaii, drinking Mai Tais, writing memoirs and hoping Trump doesn't destroy my legacy.
    Jack: He's drunk.
    Emily: Definitely.
    Jack: So how do we feel about that?
    Emily: Well, he didn't drive drunk, and he's home before curfew, so...
    Jack: Good. That's what I thought we thought.
    Emily: Yeah, that's what we think, right?
    Jack: Yeah. We're good parents.
    Simon: I've been meaning to ask you about your parents. I just didn't want to say anything when we were actually in the restaurant. I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk about it.
    Abby: Yeah. No, I don't mention it a lot because it kind of messes with my image.
    Simon: What kind of image?
    Abby: The girl who's excited to start a new school senior year. The girl who's life didn't just end, like, three months ago, who's angry and sad all the time. Girl who still believes in love.
    Nora: I already reported it. They're gonna take it down.
    Simon: It's too late. No, there's people who've already seen it, so, it doesn't really matter. It's true. I'm gay.
    Nora: So what are you gonna do?
    Simon: I don't know.
    Nora: You could deny it.
    Simon: Why the hell would I deny it, Nora? I'm not ashamed of it!
    Leah: You are insanely stupid, Simon. I was never in love with Nick. I was in love with you!
    Simon: Look... we're us.
    Leah: Yeah, well, sorry. I've been trying to tell you. That night I slept over, I was trying to tell you. You wanna know the funniest part? It's that all these years, you being so picky with girls, I thought that maybe it was because you might like me, too. And then, you know, you told me I should go out with Nick and I realized you were just never gonna see me that way. I can deal with you being gay, Si. But you set me up to get my heart broken when you thought I was in love with Nick and that just makes you cruel.
    Jock: Hey, Ms. Albright.
    Ms. Albright: Don't "hey Ms. Albright" me. We're not friends. You're not gonna braid my hair or paint my nails. Get your ass off the table now, you sweaty, hormonal virgins. You know what, you're about to be suspended for so long, that by the time it's over, you're gonna be the fat, bald, unhappily married, wildly mediocre nobodies you're destined to become.
    Other jock: You can't talk to us like that.
    Ms. Albright: Actually, I can, 'cause I just did. And you know why? Because you're just those two assholes that did that shitty thing in front of the whole school. And guess what? Nobody feels sorry for those assholes, especially me. Now, walk. Mr. Worth's office, now.
    Ethan: (waves) Bye.
    Ms. Albright: (grabs the boombox) That's mine now. I'mma sell it. Get my tubes tied.
    Simon: Hey, I'm sorry, Ethan. None of this ever happened when just you were out.
    Ethan: You know what they say, one gay's a snooze, two's a hilarious hate crime. You could've told me you were gay.
    Simon: I guess I didn't think we had very much in common.
    Ethan: (scoffs) You're telling me, Simon. It's not like your all-hoodie wardrobe rocks my world.
    Simon: I don't know. Maybe I was jealous. You've been out since you were sixteen. It always seemed so easy for you.
    Ethan: Easy? Are you kidding me? My mom still tells my grandparents about all the girls I'm dating when we go over to their house for dinner, every sunday. She says it's 'cause they're old and religious, and it's just easier that way. I don't know, maybe that's true. But you should hear her voice when she talks about the girls.
    Simon: Did you know?
    Emily: I knew you had a secret. I mean, when you were little, you were so carefree. But these last few years, more and more, it's almost like I could feel you holding your breath. I wanted to ask you about it, but I didn't want to pry. Maybe I made a mistake.
    Simon: No. No, mom, you didn't make a mistake.
    Emily: Being gay is your thing. There are parts of it you have to go through alone. I hate that. As soon as you came out, you said, "mom, I'm still me". I need you to hear this. You are still you, Simon. You are still the same son who I love to tease and who your father depends on for just about everything. And you're the same brother who always compliments her sister on her food, even when it sucks. But you get to exhale now, Simon. You get to be more you than you have been in a very long time. You deserve everything you want.
    Jack: How long have you known?
    Simon: Like, I really started to get it when I was around thirteen.
    Jack: Four years. Four years of eating dinner together, four years of going to the movies together, four years of walking Bieber together. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have missed it. All those stupid jokes...
    Simon: Well, I know you didn't mean 'em.
    Jack: It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have missed it. But in case the message got lost somewhere I just want you to know that I love you. And I'm really proud of you. I wouldn't change anything about you.
    Jack: Hey, I thought maybe we could sign up for grindr together.
    Simon: You don't know what grindr is, do you?
    Jack: It's facebook for gay people.
    Simon: Not what it is.

## Cast

* Nick Robinson — Simon Spier
* Kathrine Langford — Leah Burke
* Alexandra Shipp — Abby Suso
* Jorge Lendeborg Jr. — Nick Eisner
* Keiynan Lonsdale - Bram Greenfeld