Throughout the week, I’ve heard tons of mixed opinions on Sierra Burgess and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, both starring Noah Centineo with two different female counterparts. If you have not seen these yet, be prepared for some spoilers!!
Plot: I personally enjoyed every second of both these movies, but preferred the plot of Sierra Burgess. Although To All the Boys was adorable, I felt that Sierra Burgess was a bit more unique. “They pretend to date but end up liking each other” is a classic trope we all know. However, they both shared the predictable but irresistible factor of the popular “jock” ending up with the “uncool” girl. But what differentiates Sierra Burgess is that Jaime was not the typical jock, and Veronica, the popular cheerleader, was uninterested in Jaime and never competed with Sierra for him. I liked how much of the movie was based on Sierra and Jaime purely getting to know each other’s personalities, and they fell in love with each other for that. I felt that in TATBILB everything happened a little too quickly, and it seemed obvious they liked each other a minute after they started dating. I also felt that her sister reacting so negatively to Lara Jean liking Josh was a bit far-fetched. However, I did love the similarities their families had, and I thought the youngest sister, “Kitty” added so much to it. Both movies fulfilled the rom-com and Noah Centineo craving we all seem to be having.
Cast: Noah Centineo, Lana Condor, Shannon Purser all were perfect. No complaints.
Controversy: I personally do not agree with the backlash Sierra Burgess is getting. Everything the actors do in a movie isn’t supposed to be perfect, in fact some of it is supposed to be bad. Sierra was not necessarily the protagonist in this; actually most of what she did was wrong, and she even said that in an interview regarding the scene where she kissed Jamie without him knowing. I do understand how what the “popular” people were saying about Sierra may offend some, but it is a movie, and we have to take everything they say in it with a grain of salt. I think the deaf scene was fine, and was purely for comedic reasons and to show Sierra’s anxiety towards talking to Jamie.