OK, maybe it is my own recent coming out, or just the fact that there are a lot of LGBTQ+ movies out there, but regardless I have watched quite a few recently. Impulsively with "Call Me By Your Name", patiently waiting for "Love, Simon", and then long forgotten, "Brokeback Mountain." All of these films had one thing in common, the young male lead falling in love with the guy right before his eyes. Timothée Chalamet, Nick Robinson, and Jake Gyllenhaal all played these parts quite well, respectively, and to no avail, so did Daniel Doheny. "Alex Strangelove" was no different, in fact playing along a very similar storyline as those preceding it; however, here are 7 things I wish I would have seen differently.
Warning: spoiler alerts ahead, so you may want to stop now and watch the movie before continuing.
OK, you watched it? You're back? Let's do this then.
1. More of Elliot
I think I can actually count on one hand the number of scenes in which Elliot, played by Antonio Marziale, appears on-screen. Considering the fact that this is not only a coming out story, but also a love story- I wish I would have seen more of the actual love part.
2. Less pressure for Alex to lose his virginity
Unfortunately, a majority of the movie is centered around this entire idea. I am not quite sure the storyline would be possible without it, but I do feel as if there was a lot of pressure from his friends, and even some from his girlfriend to do so. Sure, this is exactly what happens all around us every day, but I do feel there was bit much here.
3. More of Claire's mom
It seems that in every love story, there is a parent that speaks some TRUTH, and of course, that was not left out. Claire's mom seemed to be wise, but unfortunately, the only story we really got about her was that she was sick and in and out of the hospital. Obviously, this story is not hers to tell, or about her, but wow did she deserve better.
4. More episodes of "Savage Kingdom High"
Again, not a huge contributing factor to the movie, but they were funny and when you watch it (which you already have since you're reading this), you'll want more of them too.
5. Less of Dell, altogether
Everyone needs that one friend that they go to with everything. For me, it is my roommate or best friend from high school; however, both of them have one thing in common. They aren't obnoxious. Dell, played by Daniel Zolghadri, is Alex's go-to, but the whole time I kind of just found him to be annoying, yet still offering a ~tad~ of comic relief.
6. Less shaming from Claire after Alex comes out.
Claire, we get it, she was obviously hurt by the fact that someone who you thought loved you and only you, ended up loving someone else. Someone of the same gender, to be clear. Sometimes, it is not always easy to come to terms with that, but I was not a fan of all the shaming and negativity that came from her at first. Someone who claims to be your best friend should always be supportive of you and your decisions, and to me, it did not seem that way at first.
Of course, she cleans up her act and ends up play a crucial role in getting Alex and Elliot together where they belong, but after she had to do some self-realizing of her own.
7. A better damn ending
Yes, I am happy that Alex and Elliot ended up together in the end; however, it was something that we all saw coming. Alex had just found out before prom that he had not been accepted into the college he planned to attend, and Elliot had already been out of high school for a year at that point. My wish is that we would have gotten to know a little bit more about what happens next. They kiss at prom and then in the blink of an eye, the movie is over.
WHAT NOW?! WHERE DO THEY GO FROM HERE?!
All in all, "Alex Strangelove" did not disappoint me terribly, in fact ranking higher than 'Call Me By Your Name' on my list of recently watched. Although there are some things that I would have liked to see more of, or done differently, the film was a pretty good adaptation of the coming of age, and coming-out story that most people face everywhere, every day.
If there is one thing to take away from this movie, it is definitely the final scene. I will not spoil it for you, but for anyone reading, just remember that there is power in coming to terms with who you are, and there is so much happiness that comes with it.
