LOVE, SIMON (2018) Movie Reaction! | First Time Watch | Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel

The film cleverly plants numerous red herrings and subtle clues, making the audience constantly guess who Simon's anonymous email correspondent, 'Blue,' could be. The hosts were repeatedly thrown off, only for the final reveal to make perfect sense in retrospect, utilizing previously dismissed characters and details like the 'black and Jewish' joke.

The hosts discuss how they were 'totally thrown off all over the place' and 'picking apart every person,' noting how 'the Oreos gave it away. Black and Jewish bluish.' They highlight how Bram was initially a suspect, then dismissed after being seen with a girl, only to be revealed as Blue later, a 'clever way of burying that lead.'

Unlike simplistic narratives, 'Love, Simon' shows Simon's friends reacting with anger and hurt after his forced outing and the revelation of his manipulative actions (due to blackmail). Their initial lack of immediate support for Simon, despite his difficult circumstances, was praised for its realism and for giving Simon consequences for his own missteps.

The hosts appreciate that 'his actions still had consequences' and that his friends were 'angry and not necessarily supportive right off the bat.' They note that Simon 'still had to be on the hook for largely mistreating his friends during that brief time period.'

The film avoids a 'perfect' coming-out scenario, particularly with Simon's father. His initial awkwardness, jokes, and struggle to process the news, followed by a deeply emotional and supportive conversation, felt authentic and relatable to real-world experiences.

The hosts lauded 'his dad struggling with it and that like sort of initial awkwardness of like how do we get through this felt very very real where it wasn't a perfect coming out.' They mention the dad's guilt over past jokes and his need to 'come to terms with his own prejudices or his own thoughts.'

The character of Martin, the blackmailer, remains largely unredeemed throughout the film. His apology is portrayed as insincere, driven by guilt rather than genuine remorse, and his actions continue to have negative repercussions for him, which the hosts found refreshing and realistic.

The hosts state, 'Martin sucks. Martin sucked.' They appreciate that the film 'did not give Martin an out' and that 'his apology was not great,' leaving him 'with egg on his face as a character.'