Review on “Tall Girl,'' a Netflix Original:
Image courtesy of Netflix
By ISABELLA KANCZUK ‘23
High school is hard for 16-year-olds. Students face constant homework, tests, and arduous extracurricular activities everyday. The pressure of getting into a good college can be overwhelming, and society emphasizes the importance of an extroverted life.
However, in the case of the protagonist of “Tall Girl,” Jodi Kreyman (Ava Michelle) sees her unusual height of 6-foot-1 as the most prevailing issue she faces during her high school experience. Throughout the movie, she hangs out with her only two friends: Fareeda (Anjelika Washington) and the smitten Jack (Griffin Gluck). She tries to crouch down in order to remain unnoticed by bullies and feels constantly insecure.
Her troublesome school life dramatically changes once Stig, a Swedish exchange student, comes to her school for a few weeks. Jodi tries to gain Stig’s attention, as he is tall, blonde, smart, beautiful, and apparently the new love of her life. The only problem is that Jodi must compete with the rest of the girls at her school to win Stig over. According to Jodi, the rivalry turns her life even more “tormentful.” This element of the plot, however, received a relatively negative response.
Even before this movie was officially released, Netflix viewers were angered at the “tall girl” theme. The idea that Jodi, who is statistically not even that tall, is presented as an oppressed minority can be easily interpreted as offensive and spoiled. One social media user wrote, “Ah yes, the one thing I remember from high is how difficult things were for extremely attractive tall blonde girls.” Another user wrote on Twitter, “Ok the tall girl movie is fake news because I went to High school with a girl who was 6’ 2” and she had a new man every month. Fake. News.”
The film aims to be inspirational and heart-warming with the honorable message of “love yourself no matter what you look like.” Nevertheless, I do feel that it fell short. Pushing tallness as an adversity is a stretch, and we should not put stigmas on characteristics that do not have them.
Additionally, according to the film, Jodi felt the most insecure when people pointed out her uncommon height. Therefore, if the movie’s cast and crew really wanted tall girls to love their bodies, there was no point in creating this production.
Moreover, Jodi would always go home to her two parents and beauty-queen sister to eat a 3-course meal after every day. Jodi lived in an elegant mansion in the suburbs of New Orleans, drove a nice SUV, and essentially had all the privileges a person could possibly ask for in the United States. Meanwhile, thousands of people get bullied daily due to factors such as their sexuality and/or their race. This movie depicts Jodi’s character as hyperbolically helpless and distressed, which feels insensitive compared to the grave problems teens are facing around the world.
In conclusion, I ask you: is the “tall girl” theme a controversial one? Or is it just a fun and leisurely rom-com plot?