Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

This was one of the best, if not outright the best book to movie adaptations I have ever seen. It had been a couple of years since I read the book so I really only remember major parts of the plot. However, after seeing this movie and immediately thinking it was one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, I decided to reread the book. This movie reorders some of the events but in a way that helps with pacing. There's really only one major plot change from the book that I won't go into detail but I feel works well for movie in a way the book dealt with it. I would recommend this movie to all my friends and look forward to owning it to watch on repeat.

This is a beuatiful adaptation of Benjamin Alire Sáenz's book. There will be those who quibble with some of the choices, but considering the sheer challenge of transferring such a successful book, especially an emotional one like this one, onto the screen, this is an excellent take on the novel. It's a slow burn for Max Pelayo to truly come into his own as Ari: this is due to the character's own evolution, all repressed feelings and anger that slowly surface, along with the realization of who he is. It's a joy watching the actor rise to the occasion. Reese Gonzales immediately captures Dante, partially because of the insightful casting but also because Dante is well-defined from the start in the book. The two actors play off each other with great ease.

The director, Aitch Alberto, brings a careful hand to everything in this film, and you feel it. One choice that worked well was making Ari's aunt Ophelia more present. In the novel, she's almost like an idea, but here she's a presence onscreen and a reflection of Ari's own repressed self. That was a wise choice, along with keeping Dante's attack "off-stage" to avoid the sensationalism.

This is a film about two young men who are loners, in extremely different ways, and who simply love each other--almost immediately. By the time Ari comes to terms with himself and what he is feeling, the viewer, like the character, can finally exhale.

Three Hundred Seventy-Five Pages and the job is to reduce it to One Hour Thirty-Seven Minutes on film and keep it honest and authentic. The original source material by author Benjamin Alite Sáenz is named TIME Magazine's "Best YA Book of All Time" (2021)" and selected as a "Printz Honor Book" who describes it as a "tender, honest exploration of identity." Publishers Weekly adds that "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" distills lyrical truths about family and friendship. That's some undertaking by Aitch Alberto, who serves this film masterfully as its screenwriter, producer and director. The ability to pluck the essence of the book's major emotional beats speaks of a complete immersion into the characters created by Mr Sáenz's and who continue their journey in the follow up book "Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World." The casting of Max Pelayo as Aristotle was brilliant, as was Reese Gonzalez as Dante.

Rarely does a movie come about that lingers with the viewer sufficiently so that they will be motivated to keep them alive in their hearts by reading the book. With the follow up book already available, that adds additional motivation to read them both.

With your imagination aided by Max and Reese's portrayal, it'll be easy going for even the most finicky readers.

There's bed a few similar entries like the film Red, White and Royal Blue and TV series like Young Royals and Heartstopper that deals in young adult first love. This movie tops them all in character development and likability. Done well, as it is done here is a treat to watch.

My 8 rating would be 8.5 if decimals were available. It misses a 9 by just a bit, maybe fifteen more minutes would have been helpful, as the story moves a bit too quickly in the middle.

I am so grateful I got the chance to watch this film through TIFF's digital screening. I have followed this movie's journey since 2018 and it was surreal to sit and finally enjoy this story, made so beautifully and with so much love.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is tender and real. It doesn't only show the characters, it sees them. It is gorgeously constructed with dreamy cinematography by Akis Konstantakopoulos, and a beautiful soundtrack to match. Max and Reese truly understood their characters. They captured the quirks, the deadpan jokes, and the mannerisms of teenage boys figuring themselves out. They are awkward, they are silly, they are young. They don't know who they are and they piece it together on screen, in small stumbles and in leaps. They are the perfect representations of Aristotle and Dante.

It is written with love, it is filmed with love, it is directed with love. After watching for the second time in one night, with a headache from crying, I felt like love had been given back to me, too. When a story is so beautiful, it demands to be seen over and over, and this is one of those. It feels like a huge, crushing, beautiful hug. Both fans of the book and those who have never picked it up will love this adaptation; it holds something for everyone.

I'll admit, I wasn't all that compelled to see this, at first. I wasn't sold on it being anything more than just another gay teen movie. However, it didn't take very long, at all, for this one to grab me by the heartstrings, and reel me in.

It's a very adorable and charming gay teen romance. It offers some really nice elements of beneficial friendship. The companionship between the two youths is very compelling.

I felt the whole thing to be extremely believable and relatable. Especially, considering it deals with what it's like being a Latino American gay youth, I felt like I could totally understand and relate with that experience, because it's presented in a very approachable way.

I like how the relationship between the two boys develops over time. How everything they go through brings them closer, not only with each other, but with their own personal feelings.

It's a movie which not only teaches us about overcoming bullying and homophobia, but also what finding true love and courage is all about.

It's a nice, positive and heartwarming little movie. I absolutely loved it, and highly recommend it.

Edit: I waited until after I wrote my review to read the others, and hadn't realized this was based on a book! Well, I guess that explains why it's so well-written. I don't often read fiction, but would seriously consider reading this book. As always, the people who have insist that the book is better. Well, I had no idea of that, and was still a little blown away by this movie. In fact, so blown away that I've actually re-watched it several times, which something I rarely do. So, that speaks very highly of how good this movie is.

As an aside, one of the parts in this movie I simply can't get over was when Aristotle tells Dante his name. I have to admit, that is one of the cutest scenes I've ever witnessed in my whole life, and I can't get how he said that to quit echoing through the back of my mind. It's almost as unforgettably charming as that time we witnessed a young Milo Ventimiglia proclaim "Nothiiiin'!" at the end of the short film, Must Be The Music. Wink twice, if you feel where I'm coming from.

In fact, now that I think of it, I'm going to add one more star, because I can't get over how charming this movie is. It actually reminds me of why I'm so proud to be alive, and what's so beautiful about life as a gay guy. It's not a perfect movie, but I think it deserves to be watched.