If an artist with no real talent releases a single that’s boring, repetitive, and anticlimactic, then the music video should compensate with an interesting plot or stunning special effects. Sadly, Ciara’s new music video for “Like a Boy” merely consists of her dressing up in drag, grabbing her crotch every available moment, and threatening to “act like a boy” to one that has presumably done something to hurt her. The dancing is good but it’s common to every female R&B/pop video. The black and white color scheme makes the video even less interesting.

“Like a Boy” ultimately reveals the unfortunate truth that Ciara’s just not charismatic enough. The video relies almost totally on her–her face, her legs, and her dancing (basically everything but her singing). But she just doesn’t have that je ne sais quoi that makes her interesting to watch. She’s not an actress, not a performer, and she’s barely a musician, and this video isn’t distracting enough to carry her along with it.

On the upside, she sure is pretty and flexible, and goddamn is she toned. And there is one inspired instant when she sings the words “I love you” and the dancers’ silhouettes become that of a beating heart. It’s kind of cool, but that moment of creativity is fleeting.

Perhaps it’s the mediocre singing, the trite lyrics, the excessive dancing, or the fact that she just seems to be having too much fun traipsing around in drag while singing about being burned by a lover. Whatever it is, “Like a Boy” doesn’t quite cut it. Ciara is more of a back-up dancer than she is a star. Her smoky looks alone can’t make her video interesting. She’s like Derek Zoolander: she’s got Blue Steel, but that’s all, folks.

—Juli Min