Unpopular high school student Sierra Burgess (Shannon Purser) gets the chance of a lifetime when hottie quarterback, Jamey (Noah Centineo), is given her phone number and thinks that she’s Veronica (Kristine Froseth), head cheerleader and not-so-nice a person. Sierra ends up catfishing Jamey, with the unlikely help of Veronica, in exchange for tutoring her in order to impress a college guy. Sierra juggles pretending to be somebody she’s not, trying to get into Stanford University and living up to her parent’s successes, her father being a genius/author and her mother, gorgeous and overly positive.
Throughout the movie, Sierra constantly berates herself for being, in her opinion, unattractive and a “loser.” While Sierra isn’t society’s ‘traditional’ definition of pretty, there are so many things about her that make her beautiful. Although some of her actions are not cool (i.e., catfishing), she still has a good heart.
Number one, Sierra is extremely intelligent and excels academically, scoring a near-perfect on her SATs. She knows a lot about philosophers and authors, which she teaches to Veronica throughout the film.
Next, is her amazing singing voice. Sierra has a beautiful voice, that’s rich and low, with a talent for writing that she hides because she wants to live up to the legacy that her father created and in her mind, she doesn’t think that her gift is good enough. Her passion for singing shines through in her song, “Sunflower.”
Veronica, on the other hand, is strikingly beautiful on the outside, but ugly on the inside in the beginning of the film. It’s only as the plot progresses that we start to see her real self, that’s been suppressed by her overbearing mother and that might be the reason why she’s so mean and strives to be popular. It’s because she doesn’t get that attention at home.
Jamey, is also extremely good-looking, yet has a heart of gold underneath that quarterback uniform. He’s quirky and an all-around good guy, who has an affinity for sending goofy pictures through text. Like most teenagers, Jamey is insecure about sending a shirtless picture and that’s something most everyone can relate to. His love for his little brother, who’s deaf, is what really warms your heart.
Lastly, is Sierra’s best friend Dan, who acts as the voice of reason for all of Sierra’s actions—not that she really listens to him. His dedication to his friendship with her is something that not everyone has. Even if it’s going to create tension between the two, Dan will do it in order for Sierra to be the best that she can be. He’s also incredibly funny, which makes him extremely likable.
So, there’s a difference between being pretty and being beautiful. They say, “beauty is only skin deep,” but there’s so many different kinds of beauty that each of these character’s possess and that’s what really shines about the movie.
Sierra Burgess is a Loser is available on Netflix and stars Shannon Purser (Stranger Things, Riverdale), Kristine Froseth (Prey), Noah Centineo (The Fosters, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Power Rangers), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Switched at Birth), Alan Ruck (Twister, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Chrissy Metz (This Is Us, American Horror Story), and Loretta Devine (Boston Public, Grey’s Anatomy).
