Netflix has done it again and sparked lots of conversation regarding their newest romantic-comedy, “Sierra Burgess is a Loser”, the latest in a string of movies released by the popular online streaming channel, and was released September 7. You may recognize the two leads in the movie: Shannon Purser, who played the role of Barb in season one of “Stranger Things”, and Noah Centineo, one of the lead roles in “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”.
The movie takes from the classic novel “Cyrano de Bergerac”, with quite the contemporary twist. In this modern retelling, our main character, Sierra Burgess, is far from the most popular girl in school. When an attractive student from the neighboring high school, Jamie, begins to text Veronica, Queen Bee at Sierra’s school, well… madness ensues.
In placing the classic format of Cyrano and using contemporary tropes to fulfill it, “Sierra Burgess is a Loser” can easily be enjoyed as an easygoing romantic-comedy that takes into account the life experiences of a girl who doesn’t fit the mold of stereotypical beauty. And in this way, it’s a pretty cute movie. The aesthetic is nice, the music is reminiscent of the 80’s in a wonderfully soft and understated way, and each of the characters are incredibly charming in their own right. The movie also includes a great subplot reinforcing the importance of friendship.
Some scenes of the movie regarding interpretations of the Cyrano trope have sparked quite some controversy online, and not without reason. There are some pretty questionable scenes in the movie, and things the characters do that I don’t agree with. Still, though, the underlying theme of acceptance and friendship make the movie worth your while.
At its core, it’s a non-traditional high school love story — and that’s pretty revolutionary.