After Netflix’s
latest supposed body positivity series ‘Insatiable’ premiered, I was waiting
eagerly for ‘Sierra Burgess is a Loser’ to tell a better story than the series
was supposed to do. However, I was greatly disappointed. On the surface, and based
on the trailer, the movie looked promising. It promised to handle a tough
subject matter in a teen rom-com setting, but what was done is a mixture of an
unbelievable plot, weak script and cringy if not offensive situations. The
latter was bizarre considering that the demographic that the movie is aimed
for, is the one most vocal in advocating for a change in their representation
in media.
The plot was
fast-paced, and the script couldn’t keep. I was not expecting teenagers to be
smart and philosophical like something out of a ‘John Green’ book, but I was at
least expecting a stronger argument against Sierra’s meltdown about her
self-esteem and appearance issues than just her famous writer/father saying,
“Be Yourself”. For a gifted student who can speak three languages, I was
waiting for a stronger argument. The plot blurs the lines between a supposed
harmless catfishing to full-on sexual assault, and while it’s made to appear
cute, it’s not. This shouldn’t be a message aimed at teenagers, especially
considering the vast availability of the devices needed to imitate what
happened in the movie. But thankfully, the majority of real teens are much
socially aware than the ones in this film. To be honest, at this point the
movie could have been a little salvageable. But who cares about apologizing and
owning up to your mistakes when you could just write a song about it and be
forgiven by everyone?
Sierra Burgess is
not a loser, she’s a callous villain in her own movie. ‘Shannon Purser’s’
incredible performance was hindered by literally everything. Even ‘Noah
Centineo’s’ charm wasn’t enough to save this movie. And finally, let’s talk
about how they have ‘Chrissy Metz’ and they gave her three scenes, especially
when her character was a vital point in Veronica’s behavior. Veronica, another
character who was not given the treatment she deserved. Overall, I wouldn’t
recommend this to anyone. There’s no humor to tide you over the movie, not even
a slightly believable plot or a message worth watching. But if you still want
to watch it, it’s on Netflix now.
