Netflix have been hitting it out of the park with their recent rom-coms. We have had Set It up, The Kissing Booth and To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Now we have Sierra Burgess Is A Loser and it is just as engaging and wonderful as expected. The story goes that Sierra Burgess, played by Shannon Purser, is a very smart, funny high school teenager. She has lovely parents and great friends but what she doesn't have is a boyfriend.
We also have Veronica, a popular, classically beautiful cheerleader. She's the token mean girl in the movie. When approached by Jamey in a diner she gives him Sierra's number instead of her own. Thinking that he has a chance, Jamey texts the number and so begins the relationship between Jamey and Sierra with one problem. Jamey thinks he's talking to Veronica and doesn't even know who Sierra is.
The plot thickens as Sierra enlists Veronica's help to keep up the charade. Now, on the face of it, this is quite a devious premise for a teenage movie. It's cat-fishing and it's illegal which is pointed out by Sierra's best friend. Unconcerned by how unethical this is, Sierra continues to get deeper into the budding romance with Jamey, played by Noah Centenio. I'm not sure if it's a great idea to romanticise such a huge deception but if you can get over it then you'll really enjoy the film.
At the heart of it, Sierra Burgess Is A Loser is about being validated for being exactly who you are. That looks play a much smaller role in attraction than people think. Sierra Burgess may not be as pretty as Veronica but the twist is that she actually has much more confidence and self esteem than her. As their friendship develops we learn a lot more about the two of them and the unlikely pairing start to bring out the best in each other. However, it's not all sweetness and dripping in saccharine. There are some reality checks in this movie that will break your heart. That, peppered with some real comedy from Dan, Sierra's best friend, gives this film great balance.
And best of all, it's a teen rom-com that doesn't feel the need to turn the nerd into the beauty queen. It doesn't insist that it's protagonist lose weight or change herself to be liked. In fact it doesn't really touch on those subjects at all which is really refreshing. It is the sunflower in a bed of thorny roses. It has of course made superstars out of the cast and on the back of TATBILB and Sierra Burgess, Noah Centineo has gained 8 million new followers on Instagram! The film has it's critics which is fair enough but it's a teen rom-com not an potential Oscar winner. Taking it at face value, this is a perfectly lovely movie I really enjoyed it.
