Alex Strangelove
A Modern Coming of Age Story
Comparisons are impossible to avoid, so let’s just get it out of the way. Love, Simon is one of the most charming movies of 2018, a sweet, adorable, well-natured romantic comedy about a teenage boy discovering his homosexuality. Alex Strangelove is also about a teenage boy discovering his sexuality, but that doesn’t mean it’s a rip-off of the other film. We’re allowed to have more than one “gay teen rom-com” per year.
This Netflix original, directed by Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins), takes a decidedly raunchier, R-rated vibe than the sweet innocence of Love, Simon. Not content to be a mild-mannered “kid” movie, Alex Strangelove has an extra dose of Superbad or American Pie DNA in addition to Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. The vibes are still decidedly jolly, but Strangelove enjoys getting its hands dirty with sexual humor and wild juvenile antics.
Daniel Doheny is a fairly unknown actor, but he carries the film with help from a strong supporting cast, which includes Madeline Weinstein as Alex’s female romantic interest and Antonio Marizale as – surprise, surprise– his male romantic interest. Underneath its teen sex comedy exterior lies the heart of a romantic coming-of-age drama, with Alex discovering who he is while navigating the standard sexual pressure of teenage life.
Overall, Alex Strangelove looks to be a slyly subversive, but still unflinchingly sincere, take on the emerging queer romantic teen movie genre, with equal doses of heartfelt drama and risque comedy.
Alex Strangelove debuts June 8 on Netflix.
