Alex Strangelove is Love, Simon with more sex jokes
First there was Love, Simon, giving us the gay romantic comedy we all craved. Now streaming giant Netflix is adding one more title to the tragic dearth of gay teen movies — but this time with a raunchier tone.
Alex Strangelove is the brand new Netflix original movie exploring sexuality, identity, and more in high school.
The story follows Alex Truelove (yes, his real name). He pretty much has it all — a cute girlfriend, popularity (he’s class president), and great grades.
Then he meets Elliott, a confident and charming gay teen, at a party. Elliott isn’t shy about his crush on Alex and suddenly Alex finds himself wondering about his own identity and decision to lose his virginity.
Heter-O’s, Gay-Flakes, and Bi-Crunchies
This movie is more Superbad and Easy A than sweet teen flicks. And, like with Love, Simon, it’s about time these tried and true genres branch out into more diversity.
What’s especially important about these types of films is that in the past several years, the average coming out age has fallen.
Various reports have found that more and more people are coming out at younger ages — typically as teens.
In 1991, the average coming out age was 25. As of 2010, however, that number dropped to 16. Plus, other surveys reveal a majority of people knew they weren’t straight at a young age, even if they didn’t come out until later.
These statistics show why representation, especially for younger audiences, is so important.
Alex Strangelove is written and directed by Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins). It stars Daniel Doheny, William Ragsdale, Joanna Adler, and Isabella Amara, and arrives on Netflix on 8 June.
