The romantic-comedy genre is one that is beloved among many people. Particularly popular in the '80s, '90s and throughout the first decade of the 2000s, this specific type of movie became something special in Hollywood and garnered fans of all ages. This genre started to become something much more than what any screenwriter or actor could ever imagine, and it was soon becoming part of Hollywood history with its too-cute couples and iconic scenes filled with the perfect combination of affection and playful banter. In a word, the rom-com is infectious.

Although the rom-com has become something of a classic in film, it has also died down significantly in the last several years. You can argue that the young-adult sci-fi dystopian franchises have booted the genre out of the box-office game, or that it was the superhero stories that were grabbing most audiences' attention nowadays; or maybe it's just that plain and simple that it was because rom-coms don't make as much money. Whatever the case may be, the rom-com certainly hasn't been featured in the movie theater lineup in quite sometime (or just not like it used to in the past).

Cut to 2018, where the entertainment industry is changing more than ever and literally anything seems to be possible. Love stories between two men or a woman and a fish-like creature are being nominated and winning (rightfully so, too) Academy Awards, men who have sexually harassed women in the workplace are getting booted out of their positions in power no matter how big or small (again, rightfully so) and more female directors are getting better opportunities for their craft (and rightfully so). The film industry is going places and telling stories that they have never explored before.

So now is the perfect time for a story like "Love, Simon." Based on the novel "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli, the movie revolves around a 17-year-old boy (played by Nick Robinson) who lives in the suburbs of Atlanta and is in his senior year of high school. He has a very loving family, good group of friends and seems content with life- but he has been hiding a secret from all the people he loves. Simon, in fact, is gay.

Simon is told by one of his best friends that someone has confessed their sexuality under the penname "Blue" on this movie's version of Tumblr. Finding comfort in the anonymity and freedom of it all, Simon starts emailing Blue about his own frustrations of keeping his secret under his own undercover name and the two form an intimate bond over a short period of time. It isn't before long that one of Simon's classmates finds the email opened on a computer in the school library that he uses it for blackmail against him so Simon can hook him up with one of his best friends.

It is a horrible thought that someone would even consider taking someone else's "coming out" away from them, let alone blackmailing someone about it, but that's only where the story begins for this movie. I will refrain from spoilers in this review since it just recently came out, but I can just tell you this: it's good.

Watching this movie brings back all the good feelings, brief cringiness, and anticipated suspense that rom-coms are notorious for having. I was finally able to revel in a rom-com that was about people around my age group on its night of release in the theater; and on top of it all, it wasn't a bad rom-com (because we all know those exist, too).

Not only is this film making a great comeback for the rom-com genre, but it's breaking boundaries within the industry. "Love, Simon" is being recognized as the first historically significant film released by a major studio to focus on a gay teenage romance. For those of you don't really follow the film industry, or who are just not realizing the point I'm making here, but this is huge.

It's not a big deal that a film about a gay teenage boy is being made, but because it is something other than an independent dramatic film. I enjoy watching indie dramas as much as the next film lover, but when will gay couples get the fun movies that straight couples always get to have?

This has been a question in my mind ever since I became a film fan, and I am so happy that this movie was made to help make that actually happen. People in the industry have always talked about how new stories deserve recognition and that film needs to explore new realms of storytelling; instead of just talking about it, now it is actually happening.

"Love, Simon" is not only the feel-good movie it strives to be, but it shows audience members that at the end of the day, people who may seem so different from us aren't at all. Everyone goes through heartbreak, stress, fighting with friends and the occasional awkward flirting. In other words, the person who is having trouble accepting or understanding another for having a different sexuality may actually gain a new perspective from a simple movie.

The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines a romantic comedy as "a light, comic movie or other work whose plot focuses on the development of a romantic relationship." Notice how it doesn't specify whether it involves a couple whose straight, gay, bisexual or anything. It is purely a story intended to make audience's feel good and makes them want the excitement of fun love for themselves. And I'm beyond glad that a movie like this has done just that.

Welcome back, Rom-Com!