Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018)

Sierra Burgess Is a Loser works because it treats teen-heartache like it matters, letting its comedy land while still making room for bruised feelings, awkward mistakes, and the yearning to be seen for who you are. Shannon Purser gives Sierra a sharp, lived-in warmth that makes her more than a makeover cliché, and the film’s best scenes find surprising tenderness in the uneasy friendship that forms between two girls trapped by the roles their school assigned them. The vibe is bright and poppy on the surface, but there’s an earnest undercurrent about identity, loneliness, and how easy it is to hide behind a screen until the truth demands a face-to-face reckoning. It’s not for everyone—its central deception and a few uncomfortable choices may test your patience—but if you like teen rom-coms with a sincere pulse and a cast that sells every emotion, it’s an easy watch to root for.

Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is clearly trying to be a modern teen rom-com about looking past appearances, finding your voice, and turning a messy mistake into unexpected connection. The problem is it leans hard on familiar clichés and uneven pacing, and it asks you to root for a romance built on deception without fully earning the emotional accountability that premise requires. If catfishing played for charm, cyberbullying treated too lightly, or a consent-bending moment brushed past would ruin the experience for you, this will likely feel tone-deaf rather than swoony. On the plus side, Shannon Purser brings warmth and vulnerability, and the Sierra-Veronica dynamic has more spark than the central love story, so it may still work if you can accept a very glossy morality in exchange for comfort-movie vibes.