MACKENZIE KRUMLAND
krumlandml@lopers.unk.edu
As a young child, I had hoped to be at least somewhat tall. I can’t say that at 19 years old, being 5’5” is necessarily short, but I definitely wouldn’t consider myself tall. Although I feel like I am of a tolerable height, I think that being tall would be fun and beneficial in many aspects. This would include reaching items on high shelves, looking down on people and even not allowing others to reach things by simply holding them up.
Although being tall has many benefits, the new Netflix Original, “Tall Girl”, focuses on a different perspective when it comes to being tall. This movie follows the life of protagonist, Jodi, who has been bullied her entire life for her height of 6’1”, which has caused her self-consciousness and lack of confidence. Walking the halls brings multiple remarks to her about her height, the most popular being, “How’s the weather up there?” Clever, right? Not in the slightest. I can’t say that I have personally experienced what it’s like to be this tall, but I would’ve never imagined this height would be the cause of bullying. I think it’s cool, not embarrassing. But nonetheless, this is what happens to poor Jodi.
Even though one would assume that given the title of the movie, the plot would focus on Jodi’s journey to self-discovery and confidence, that is not the main conflict of the movie. A foreign exchange student who is just as tall as Jodi moves to the school, and Jodi is immediately fixated on making him fall in love with her. This becomes a problem when one of her bullies starts to date Stig, the foreign exchange student. While all of this is happening, Jodi is supported by her two best friends and her “perfect” older sister. This movie includes many of the tropes and stereotypes that you will find in the typical highschool love story movie.
I think that this movie could’ve been a lot better than it ended up being. As I’ve written before, I do admit that I tend to be a sucker for romance movies. I do have to say that I did enjoy the romance parts, and I can admit that it made my heart happy during the cute romance and especially the kissing scenes. Although I did enjoy that aspect, I think they could’ve focused more on Jodi’s self-discovery. I would’ve enjoyed this to be the main plot and the romance plot on the side. It would’ve been a really important message had they focused more on overcoming your insecurities and learning to love yourself. They do include this in the movie, but it is overshadowed by the cheesy love story. This is the second Netflix Original that I’ve watched that failed in this way, the first being “Sierra Burgess is a Loser”, which also could’ve portrayed a really important message had it been written differently.
After watching this movie, I can’t say that I hated it. There were several scenes that I actually really enjoyed watching and others that got me to laugh. My final thought is that if they had shifted their focus from the romance to Jodi’s self-discovery, this could’ve been a very enjoyable and impactful Netflix Original.
