REVIEW: Sierra Burgess is a Loser Doesn’t Quite Win the Race

Summer of 2018 saw Netflix leading the romantic comedy game. In June they released Set It Up with Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell and in August they released To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before with Lana Condor and Noah Centineo. Both were immediate hits and understandably so. This Friday, September 7, Netflix releases their next romcom, Sierra Burgess is a Loser. This latest effort isn’t nearly as charming as the previous offerings.

Shannon Purser and Noah Centineo star with Purser playing titular character. The film is a re-telling of 1897 play by Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac. Purser as Sierra is a low-key teenage girl trying to survive her high school years alongside her best friend, and fellow band geek, Dan (RJ Cyler). She begins to engage in a flirtatious texting relationship with an unknown person and soon realizes the high school’s mean girl/queen bee, Veronica (Kristine Froseth), has played a joke on her. Instead of giving a rival school’s quarterback Jamey (Centineo) her number, Veronica provides Sierra’s. Not wanting to give up her new phone relationship and as it quickly intensifies, Sierra recognizes she’s in over her head. She turns to Veronica for help and along the way Veronica realizes just how much she can, and needs to, learn from Sierra.

Based on the great cast and Netflix’s previous successes this summer, expectations were high. This should have been the cap on a romantic comedy summer trifecta; unfortunately, this isn’t the case. The film’s predictability isn’t the main issue, the issue is how trite the entire film is. Formulaic plots are expected in romantic comedies but this one lacks the depth necessary to make you feel for any of the leading players. Most plot pieces come and go so quickly you don’t even realize the tiny details that are to help develop the characters. RJ Cyler is severely underused and almost no one is redeemable.

Watching the friendship grow between Sierra and Veronica is the lone highlight, not even Noah Centineo’s dreaminess can save this film.

If you are looking for something to watch this weekend to close out the Summer, rewatch Set It Up and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Sierra Burgess is a Loser just isn’t worth the time.

Grade: C