Film Review: Netflix Wins With Sierra Burgess Is A Loser
Synopsis: Sierra Burgess is a high school senior who is hoping to make it to Stanford and leave her high school life behind. One night, Sierra receives a text message from Jamey, a popular jock, who mistakenly texts her instead of Veronica, the most popular girl in school. In an effort to get him to like her, Sierra tries to get Veronica’s help in order to trick Jamey in believing he’s talking to Veronica. Sierra Burgess Is A Loser was directed by Ian Samuels.
Netflix is becoming the QUEEN of teen rom-coms. First, it was the Kissing Booth. Then, it was To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Now, Sierra Burgess Is A Loser will be released, on September 7, to solidify this streaming machine is untouchable in creating quality content that is as good or better than what is currently playing on movie screens.
I kept on thinking, while watching Sierra Burgess Is A Loser,” This movie could/should be in cinemas.” I felt this way about the previously mentioned films, as well. Teen Rom-Coms are a magical genre that can easily flop because, at times, adults think teens are stupid and angsty. How many times have teenagers been described, basically, as walking hormones? Yet, Netflix understands that teens are smart, even if more sensitive, and they are going through a vital stage in deciphering whether they will be good or bad people for this world. Sierra Burgess, as a character, is a perfect example.
In every teen rom-com, Netflix lovingly gives us a heroine whom is strong and intelligent. (THANK YOU, JESUS!) Sierra Burgess may be getting bullied, but she is too quick and fierce to let that get her down. From the beginning, Shannon Purser makes Sierra a sweet, charming young woman whom is NOT about to get steam-rolled by mean, cool kids like Kristine Froseth’s Veronica. Purser has a noble, sparkling charm that makes you, immediately, like Sierra, and feel for her woes. She has the troubles of nearly of every woman with a body; our soul does not match how we look.
Ask a person how a soul looks, and they have no idea, but, if you ask them how a body looks, they will give you their preferences. Hence, you go up to any woman, in this world, and she will have an insecurity about her appearance because, while we, mostly, define men as persons, women are defined as images. The brilliance of Sierra Burgess Is A Loser is that it is a story about a human being who knows she is wonderful, but also knows not many people will see that because she is deemed “ugly.” Sierra Burgess is not a weak, insecure loser. Sadly, she is realistic and aware about how materialistic this world is, despite, claiming to be more soulful.
Rare are the people that see or absorb how funny, kind, strong, and generous Sierra Burgess is, which is why you fall for characters like, RJ Cyler’s Dan. Their friendship is a hilarious, consistent heartbeat throughout the film as others begin to experience the light of Sierra’s heart.Her friendship with Veronica beautifully blossoms into one where both girls learn not to judge a book for its cover. They become each other’s rock and empowerment, despite tropes of what it is to be “cool” and “not cool.” #femalefriendshipisreal Moreover, they also learn, together, how to be loved by a good guy: i.e. Jamey.
Noah Centineo’s Jamey is a smile with legs. He charmingly delivers his lines and constantly laughs, which makes him steal scenes/ hearts. Yet, Centineo transforms Jamey into a symbol of someone all women should and, eventually, learn to want: a good man. He represents a needed change in how young men treat young women. Jamey does not play games. On the contrary, it is Sierra and Veronica whom are playing him. He is kind, funny, gracious, and charismatically honest. These are the qualities ladies say they want in a guy, but yet Jamey, despite being a “cool” quarterback, is called a loser. He and his friends are visible goofballs, but they are surprisingly chivalrous. Still, his truthfulness and friendliness are used against him by “popular” girls that deem him too eager or “nice.” It is through his phone-call, love affair with Sierra Burgess that Jamey and Sierra learn how to love beyond image.
Let us be frank! We, first, fall for people’s looks. No matter who you are, if you have a pulse, you know what you are physically attracted to. While Jamey thinks Veronica is beautiful, in time, he finds Sierra, and her spirit, gorgeous. THAT IS THE BEAUTY of Sierra Burgess Is A Loser. Through many human hiccups, awkward moments, and plenty of laughs, time teaches each character to undo their own stigmas and superficialities. Like everyone who grows up, they learn that, if you really want love and happiness, then you get those virtues by looking at a person’s virtue: not their facial features. Sierra Burgess Is A Loser Comes Out, on Netflix, September 7.
