There will be spoilers. Read if you dare.
Okay, everyone, the internet has been gushing about To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (TATBILB) and I get it. It is well deserved. I adored that movie when I watched it. It was entertaining and I, for one, experienced much secondhand embarrassment. Who didn’t fall in love with Noah Centineo? Just a quick Google search will yield varying results of the crush-worthy man. He became the internet’s boyfriend overnight as fan accounts with thousands of followers popped up everywhere. For sure TATBILB was a hit with millions but- hear me out- I think Sierra Burgess is a Loser (SBIAL) is infinitely better (and Noah Centineo played opposite to Shannon Purser’s lovable character). Don’t take me to the stake yet, read on.
There are several things I enjoyed about Sierra Burgess is a Loser: body positivity, humor, and romance to name a few. HOWEVER there is one aspect of SBIAL that champions it above TATBILB in my books- friendship. In the film, there is a bigger focus on the friendship between Sierra, Dan- her best friend, and Veronica- the mean girl. This is an aspect I found lacking in TATBILB. Actually, there aren’t many rom-coms that focus on friendship. It was refreshing to see a movie where the friendships play a larger role than supporting characters that comfort the protagonist after she jacked everything up. Of course, they did that too, but there was so much more. I want to focus on the two friendships for a second.
Sierra’s friendship with Dan is precious. It’s truly one born with time- tried and true. My favorite part in their friendship was when he took Sierra’s phone and threatened to tell Jamey the truth. The situation soon escalates as Dan keeps joking, but Sierra grows more and more irritable. When she voices her pain seriously, Dan quickly returns the phone and apologizes. I thought, “that’s exactly what best friends are like!” Best friends always push a little too far because they know they can- but they never intend to hurt you. Plus, Dan was always looking out to help Sierra. Even when Sierra lies to him about the reason why she can’t hang out with him and constantly puts him on the back burner, Dan still values Sierra. When Sierra realizes her mistake, she is quick to make amends with Dan and their friendship is safe once again.
Between Sierra and Veronica, there was always tension. Veronica was the typical popular mean girl any watcher would expect from a teenage rom-com and Sierra was the underappreciated eccentric girl, but with a twist- Veronica and Sierra end up being besties. No, they didn’t just come to a compromise or tolerate each other, they actually care about each other and become the best on-screen friends I didn’t know I needed. Can you ship friends? Is it a friend-ship? Because I was all about the blossoming friendship between these two. Sierra and Veronica’s friendship began on the premise that Sierra would tutor Veronica so Veronica could win back her ex-boyfriend who called her dumb. From there, the two opened up to each other and shared each other’s worlds. They complimented each other, believed in each other and shared good times by the dozens. I loved seeing Veronica change and start standing up for Sierra when people tried to bash her. Don’t even get me started about the parking lot scene. Ultimate. Wing. Woman. Veronica never failed to impress me in the film. By the end, I was more touched by Veronica and Sierra’s friendship than I was by the actual romance. Bye Jamey, hello sisterhood. Sierra and Veronica are a good description of how ladies should treat each other- building each other up, being awesome, and serving looks together.
Did I forget to mention that Shannon Purser and Kristine Froseth are queens?