‘Sierra Burgess is a Loser’ is nothing surprising

“Sierra Burgess is a Loser” is the newest original film from Netflix. There has been little to no hype over the film other than Netflix fans, who have been anticipating seeing Shannon Purser (Barb from “Stranger Things”) take on a lead role. Will the film be the surprise hit that Purser’s previous show was, or is it more dead than Barb?

Our film follows the life of Sierra Burgess (played by Purser), a senior trying to get through the final moments of her high school career while dealing with bullies who call her out for being an outcast. Her phone number is discovered by a handsome boy named Jamey (played by Noah Centineo) who texts and calls Sierra, believing that she is an attractive cheerleader named Veronica — who purposefully gave him Sierra’s number as a way to embarrass her. Through their communications, the two grow a loving relationship, though Sierra knows that she must reveal to Jamey who she truly is.

What is probably the saddest aspect of this film is that everything surrounding the main narrative is far more compelling. Certain plot aspects, like the reluctant relationship between Sierra and Veronica, reveals some dark things about the latter’s lifestyle. Sierra’s struggles to get into college due to her seemingly being out of touch with her generation was another point vastly more intriguing then the cliched and roughly handled love story.

The main love story itself isn’t done terribly, but it does have quite a few flaws. The dialogue, combined with the solid performances of both leads, does its best to remain realistic in the way that today’s youth communicates with one another. The texting scenes, oddly enough, have a decent amount of tension to them where the film’s realistic tone worked to its advantage.

With that said, the romance still falls flat by the end. Throughout the film, some of the ways in which Sierra and Jamey interact feel far too unbelievable. The third act suffers the most. Sierra creates a massive dilemma amongst many of the characters, which resolves itself far too easily and gives the film a cheesy feeling — and not in a charming way.

On top of this, the talent of the cast feels wasted. Actors such as Centineo, RJ Tyler, Lea Thompson, Alan Ruck and Loretta Devine suffer from not being able to fully flesh out their characters.

The filmmaking presented here is also largely unimpressive. While nothing is done horribly and the synth score can be alright at times, nothing is done remarkably well either. The cinematography felt flat, the editing was dull and the overall presentation had no sense of personality or creativity to it.

To end things on a lighter note, easily the best element of the film was Purser herself. Her character gives a refreshing update to the typical outcast high school girl in that she couldn’t care less what bullies have to say and is usually happy doing her own thing. At the same time, she still feels conflicted and imperfect, which gives her some nice depth. It was also nice to see Purser’s incredible singing utilized on film.

“Sierra Burgess is a Loser” is nothing more than your average high school romantic comedy with some elements that work and others that don’t. There is no rush to go see this film, but those going in and hoping for an indie masterpiece in the waiting should drastically lower their expectations.