REVIEW: Love, Victor
I started watching Love, Victor on Hulu last night, thinking I was only going to watch a few episodes before bed time. But, I ended up watching the whole thing through, staying up until 3 am to finish. I just couldn't stop watching it. I absolutely loved it. It made me want to be young and coming out and kissing my first boy for the first time again.
The series is a spin-off sequel to the 2018 film Love, Simon. But, instead of Simon writing to Blue, a new character named Victor (Michael Cimino) is writing to Simon. Victor Salazar comes from a Latino family moving from Texas to Atlanta. Victor is quite hopeful that he'll be able to fit right in and come right out of the closet. But, things are not always that easy. First off, there is family drama a brew as they try to hash out why they moved. Not to mention his family being Catholics and making these off handed gay jokes.
Victor then meets a girl named Mia (Rachel Naomi Hilson) who is interested in him and he begins to wonder if she can make him "normal." So, he begins dating her. He really likes her, but there is something not quite there. In the meantime, Victor meets Benji (George Sear), the local gay kid. He admires him for being out, making him very attractive.
Then there are the standard tropes you'd see plenty of times in teen series. There's Felix (Anthony Turpel), the nerdy kid mooning over the popular girl; Lake (Bebe Wood), popular girl who cares what other people think of her; Andrew (Mason Gooding), the cocky jock; and Pilar (Isabella Ferreira), the moody and rebellious sister.
And, we should also mention Victor's parents Isabel and Armando, played by Ana Ortiz and James Martinez respectively, were fantastic as they dealt with their own internal issues. Despite all the tropes, I find the cast so delightful that I really don't care. I just found myself rooting for them all.
The whole thing is very easy to get through. I know it's but another coming out story, but there is just something so charming about it. I found it refreshing coming from a Latino perspective. There are still strictly religious families of various ethnicities out there in which coming out seems like a dream. So, to get a glimmer of hope is always a good one. And this one is more accessible than some.
Nick Robinson returns to play an older and wiser Simon and Keiynan Lonsdale reprises his role as Bram Greenfeld, Simon's boyfriend. Actually, Robinson also served as producer and narrator. It was fun to see what they are up to now.
I originally thought that it would be fun if each season, a new kid writes to the kid before. They could explore different sexual orientations and gender identities and cultures. But, I like this cast and I want to see more from them. Plus, there is a cliffhanger that they leave you with, so there's that as well.
The series was originally meant for Disney+ and, for the life of me, I don't know why it didn't end up there. There is some light sexual suggestion and language, but, other than that, it's nothing more than what you would see in one of the Marvel movies they have on the service. Disney+ has had gay characters on their series and released a groundbreaking animated short revolving around a gay couple, so I don't get it other than seeing two boys kissing. Perish the thought.
Anyway, if you want to watch a fun coming out story, watch Love, Victor on Hulu. You won't regret it.