What would you do if you were suddenly contacted by the love interest of your dreams? They are inexplicably head-over-heels in love with you; sending you flirty messages and swoon worthy selfies on the regular.
Now, what would you do if you found out that they thought you were someone else; someone who was different from you in far too many ways? Would you play along?
In the latest Netflix creation, high school senior Sierra Burgess (Shannon Purser) finds herself in this exact situation. The accidental lover boy in question: a handsome quarterback named Jamey (Noah Centineo). From late night texts to long phone calls, Sierra and Jamey steadily grow closer. All seems well and practically harmless until Sierra realizes that Jamey thinks he is talking to the school it-girl and bully, Veronica (Kristine Froseth). Despite this shocking revelation, Sierra refuses to give up so easily. In an interesting turn of events, Sierra and Veronica eventually decide to team up, maintaining the budding romance between Sierra and the ever oblivious Jamey. In other words, Sierra is the brains and Veronica is the pretty face (the one that Jamey thinks he is in love with).
Does their plan work out in the end? That’s for me to know and for you to find out! What I will share a few points that make watching worth it and maybe not so worth it. If you’re on the fence about watching another Netflix produced romcom, keep reading.
As usual, let’s start with the positives.
Worth It: Sierra Burgess
Bullied and judged for her looks, Sierra is very much aware of her place in the cruel social hierarchy of high school. Despite this, she continues to pursue her interests and is unapologetically herself. Instead of giving power to the words and pointed looks of her tormentors, she consistently holds the power in her own hands. It’s cool to see and seems to convey that staying true to yourself can help more than it can hinder.
Worth It: The cast
Image courtesy of ew.com
In all honesty, the cast was the main reason that I decided to give this movie a chance. After seeing Shannon Purser in Stranger Things (Barb!) I was interested in seeing where her acting career would go. She brought the same element of honesty and relatability to Sierra’s character that she channeled when playing Barb, only this time she wasn’t unceremoniously dragged into the depths of the Upside Down! Hooray!
Playing the bamboozled heartthrob, Noah Centineo was another key player that drew me to this film. After breaking onto the scene and jumping into everyone’s hearts through his role as Peter Kavinsky in this year’s Netflix hit, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Noah Centineo has been a hot topic of discussion. Swoon worthy looks aside, Centineo succeeded in bringing a heartwarming level of vulnerability to a character that could have easily been another 2-dimensional stock character.
Now, it’s time to get real.
Not Worth It: The writing
At the end of the day, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser left a lot to be desired. Was it claw-my-eyes-out terrible? No, I’ll leave that title to The Kissing Booth. That being said, the general premise of the film just wasn’t great and had me cringing through a few too many scenes. At the beginning, it seemed as though the story would focus on Sierra and her journey towards becoming more comfortable in her own skin, maybe even with the help of an unlikely ally like Veronica. Unfortunately, this plot quickly crumbled and mainly turned into the adventures of two girls attempting to keep the metaphorical wool over Jamey’s eyes. Even as the credits rolled, I had to ask myself if any of the characters really changed at all or if they even realized how badly they had messed up. In case anyone is unclear, catfishing is a no no.
Not Worth It: Secondary characters
Image courtesy of CNN.com
Considering the number of secondary characters that we are introduced to, this movie skipped out on a lot of potentially powerful sub-plots. We’ve got Sierra’s loyal best friend, her intimidatingly successful parents, Jamey’s little brother, Veronica’s mother, Sierra’s poetry teacher, the list goes on. Despite the presence of these perfectly good secondary characters, they barely get the time of day in this movie. Getting to know more about Sierra’s relationship with her parents who supposedly cast a sizable shadow over her own accomplishments, or even learning more about deaf culture through Jamey’s relationship with his brother could have potentially saved this film from taking a major fall.
Final Verdict: If you’re looking for something to turn on in the background while you do chores, or are in desperate need of a rainy day movie, this will serve you just fine. However, if you are looking for something with a little more depth and emotional impact, I would leave this one on the shelf. While teen romcoms tend to be far-fetched and over the top, I found that this one tried a little too hard to be the next best thing.
2 out of 5 stars for me!
Thanks for reading! :)