It seems as though Noah Centineo is Netflix’s golden ticket. Shortly after To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Netflix released Sierra Burgess is a Loser, a movie which centers around high-schooler Sierra Burgess (Shannon Purser), a band kid and outcast. 

The movie centers around Sierra and Jamey (Noah Centineo) as they form a relationship over the phone. However, Jamey believes that he is talking to Veronica (Kristine Froseth), the most popular girl at Sierra’s high school and her bully. 

In order for Sierra to continue successfully talking to Jamey, she needs Veronica.  The two girls strike up a deal to help Sierra get Jamey and to help Veronica win back her ex. Almost immediately the two girls become close friends, and slowly the barrier between the most beautiful girl in school and the “ugliest” girl in school is broken down.

I did not enjoy the catfishing plot as I think that it normalizes and even romanticizes the idea of lying to someone repeatedly through the internet. However, it does attempt to tackle the toxicity of American beauty standards, which I appreciate. 

It isn’t often that a teen rom-com has a deeper message outside of the importance of finding true love in high school; and while that may sound cynical, I believe that more recent films have done a better job at using stronger, multidimensional female characters as protagonists. 

I also really appreciated that Sierra did not have some giant transformation where she lost a bunch of weight or wore a full face of makeup to become all-around more appealing to Jamey.

Sierra Burgess is a Loser is the perfect Friday night movie. It’s lighthearted without being too formulaic and guaranteed to leave you smiling (and desperately wanting your own Jamey).