Book and Movie Review: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda/ Love, Simon

It is so difficult to compare Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and the movie adaption Love, Simon. I almost feel as though they're not related at all. Besides the basic plot of Simon falling in love online and being outed to the entire school, the movie definitely took some liberties. 

The book was adorable. I was hesitant to read it as it is a very contemporary YA story, which isn't usually my preferred genre. However, I was pretty surprised to find that I actually enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it enough to finish it in one night! The characters were all extremely likable and unique. The writing was very easy to follow; chapters switched from first-person narration to email exchanges, which I think helped make it such a quick read. We follow Simon as he falls for the boy he has been exchanging emails with. Both boys are hiding a big secret: they're gay. The story continues as Simon is blackmailed by Martin, and subsequently outed to the entire school when Martin realizes he'll never attain Abby's love. Simon loses all of his friends, including his mysterious online boyfriend. I thought the plot of this book was actually pretty interesting, and It was never super obvious to me who Blue was until it was revealed at the end, probably because I was reading at 3 am. I was disappointed as to who Blue actually was but, oh well. There were so many cute scenes. When they ditched lunch to have Oreo cereal, I died, too cute. I also loved that Leah had a lot of character development despite being only a supporting character. Overall, this book was super adorable. It was a quick, easy read. I don't think the issues it tackled were too serious but it was still an enjoyable read. 

The movie was also adorable. Nick Robinson made a perfect Simon. I was so excited to see the movie since I really enjoyed the book. To be honest, I enjoy cheesy contemporary love stories in the form of movies more so than books. Needless to say, the book was better than the movie. Don't get me wrong! The movie was awesome and I enjoyed it, but there is so much more detail in a book than in a movie, in my opinion at least. Had I not read the book, I think I would've enjoyed the movie a lot more. A lot changed from the book to screen adaption. The number one thing that bugged me was that Simon figured out who Blue was much earlier in the movie. Though, he then thought of different people it could be, so viewers were thrown off. I thought it was strange how they introduced him as a possible Blue so early. He wasn't even a possibility until the very end of the book. Other than that big change, there were lots of little changes. Book Simon had 2 sisters, one in college and one a high school freshman. Movie Simon had one sister, which we can assume was a high school freshman, yet she looked as if she were 10. Leah loved Nick in the book but loved Simon in the movie. A bunch of little changes from the book makes it hard to compare the two. It was almost as if they were telling two different stories. 

The book and the movie were both absolutely adorable. I recommend either. Though I don't think its entirely necessary to read the book if you've seen the film or see the film if you've read the book. It was a different experience from a book to movie adaption like Call Me By Your Name, where the book supported the film beautifully, almost like a second layer to the story (not that you can even compare CMBYN to this book, in all honesty).This was entirely different in that the movie and book feel more like two separate adaptions of the same story, which makes sense and is obviously not a bad thing. If you like contemporary romance or gay love stories in general, I think you'll really enjoy this story! (Keep in mind I am often very biased with any gay literature as it is my favorite genre, so I'd love to hear what you thought about the book!)

Have you read Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda? Have you watched Love, Simon? What did you think?

Indiana Grace

Movie Review: Call Me By Your Name

(Sorry this review is so late, I'm not even sure I fully believe what I wrote here. This movie/book is so important to me I want to write only good things about it. I'd love to here other opinions on the film though! It is my favorite thing to talk about!!)

Despite losing 3 out of 4 Oscar nominations, Call Me By Your Name will still be the highest rated movie of 2017. With a gorgeous glimpse into northern Italy in 1983, director Luca Guadagnino encourages a divine picture of our well-beloved characters, Elio and Oliver. 

Shots of an Italian countryside slip across the screen setting the stage for the youthful plot. It is a lavish summer spent on bikes or in swim trunks, listening to Psychedelic Furs on the radio, dancing under the night sky, or going for a midnight swim. A sweet summer romance that most long for develops only to disappear when reality sets in: summer is just a dream.

The best component of this entire film has to be the alluring presence and enticing appearance of the leading man, Timothée Chalamet. Dolefully, Timmy lost his nomination for "Best Leading Actor" this Oscar season. Yet this does not denounce his incredible performance that ultimately led to his true entrance into the world of acting. Though a few scenes seemed a bit lackluster to me, others were able to rectify those losses. Timmy devoted himself to this film when he found himself in Italy a month in advance to learn not only how to play the piano and the guitar but to speak Italian as well. I have never seen such maturity in a young actor before. He clearly cares a lot for his profession. Next to Timmy, Armie Hammer shines while playing Oliver. He plays Oliver almost exactly as he is presented in the novel. I often felt as though Timmy outshined Armie in most scenes. However, these men together tell a heartbreaking tale beautifully. 

Though I am sure many viewers have not read the book of the same name, I think it would be extremely beneficial. The film only scratches the surface of the gut retching emotion within the novel. To see the film only gives a shallow understanding of how these two men felt about each other. Reading the novel after the film would serve to be immensely profitable as it splurges on character development and raw emotion. Without reading the book the relationship seems too quickly developed and lacks the theme of fading time that is so present in the book. The movie appears to focus more on relationships and the idea that Elio and Oliver are homosexual. These concepts are clearly presented in the novel as well yet seem less important than exhibited in the film, in my own opinion at least. When reading the book, I found it slightly unimportant, most of the time, that the budding romance was between two men, I felt the book would have worked just as well had one of them been a woman. The movie made it more clear that their love was mostly forbidden as they were seven years apart and of the same gender. I perceived that the book and the film seemed to focus on different ideas. Though, they were essentially the same story with the same characters (with an additional French gene in Elio). James Ivory won an Oscar for his Adaption of this novel, which should prove how close the novel and film are related.

Aside from the perks of Timothée Chalamet glistening on our screens, another wonderful aspect of this film was the soundtrack! I began listening to the soundtrack, after I finished the novel and before I was prepared to see the film (it was a big deal to me ok). Amidst the classical sounds of Ryuichi Sakamoto, there were great 80's tunes allowing the listener to place themselves within 1983 Italy. Sufjan Stevens created two original songs, Mystery of Love and Visions of Gideon, both of which make this movie as harmonious as it is. The soundtrack of this film is the most pleasing and supportive soundtrack I have heard, in all honesty. I would even go as far as to say the soundtrack is my favorite part of the entire movie (besides Timmy of course). It was interesting to listen to each song before watching the film and seeing how they are implemented throughout. Some of my favorite songs off the soundtrack didn't have much emphasis within the movie, but it was cool to hear them in the background of some really important scenes. 

This film has only helped me to adore the novel more. I view it as an aid in following the romance between Elio and Oliver. I would describe the book as a second, deeper layer of the film; they work so perfectly together. Yet, on its own, this movie is a gorgeous slideshow of Northern Italy and a shallow yet satisfying development of a summer romance. I can't help but compare the novel and film, but believe me when I say they are both fully developed on their own yet work so perfectly together. If you plan to see this movie or have already seen it, definitely read the book afterward, trust me.

Here is a really awesome interview with André Aciman. He shares how much he enjoyed the film adaption of his novel!

Hope you love everything to do with CMBYN as much as I do!

Indiana Grace