Review of Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018) by Jessicalauren — 10 Oct 2018

I adored this movie. I don't understand the criticisms that say "Sierra" is cliché, a recitation of teen movie tropes. I completely disagree. I thought the three main characters were rendered with an unusual degree of empathy. First, Sierra. She's perfectly adorable. She's intelligent, strong, and tenacious. She doesn't have the same supermodel swagger as the popular girls at school though, and sometimes, this gets her feeling down. I really appreciated that this "nerd" was painted as someone completely likable, someone whole, someone bold. This isn't one of those "take off your glasses and let down your ponytail" makeover stories. There's no physical makeover needed. I really thought that was refreshing.

Veronica, popular 'it' girl, is not as perfect behind the scenes, something we learn pretty quickly, as does Sierra. Her family life is far from ideal and she has no aspirations beyond high school. Behind closed doors, she berates herself for being "moronica." Next, Jamey, the hot jock. He communicates via ASL with his little brother, who's deaf. They play video games together in their pajamas. He's not mean, and he's not shallow, and he really doesn't care much about who's cool and who's not. Perhaps the most likable jock character ever. Having just watched a slew of crappy 90s high school movies (Never Been Kissed, I'm looking at you), I found "Sierra" a breath of fresh air. The connections are authentic. It isn't cheesy. It's really unpredictable. There's no rehearsed speech at the prom to tell everyone to wake up and see beyond high school (as if that ever worked). Instead, there are genuine relationships forming, from friendships between two girls who thought they had nothing in common, to a sweet budding romance.