We open on Jodi and one of her peers discussing a book they have to read for class. When she stands to leave, the guy she is talking to is in the middle of possibly asking her if she wants to hang out later.
As a viewer, we will never know because when this guy realizes how tall Jodi is, he stutters and backtracks before walking off. It is at this moment that it is revealed that not only is Jodi tall but that she is the tall girl.
One of the first things that I noticed is that Jodi is an average height for a person. Jodi is 6'1", which really isn't that tall.
While Jodi is explaining the reasons why being the tall girl is not ideal, including the never-ending "How's the weather up there" questions, she ends with mentioning that as a junior, she is wearing size 13 men's Nikes and ends her rant with "beat that". Immediately after this, we are introduced to Jodi's best friend Fareeda.
Fareeda is a sassy, quick-witted, African-American teenager in Jodi's class who told her parents that she would be going to college and into fashion design instead of becoming a doctor. Meaning, Fareeda probably can "beat that".
The next character we are introduced to is Jack Dunkleman. Dunkleman has been friends with Jodi for years and has also had a crush on her for quite some time. Dunkleman is your typical guy best friend except for the crush and the fact that he carries a milk crate around instead of a backpack for reasons that only he knows.
Dunkleman puts a dent in Jodi's statement in that no one wants to date her because he has been asking why she won't date him for a couple of years now. Jodi gives him her "perfect" boyfriend list and a Swedish foreign exchange student named Stig walks in the classroom.
Miraculously, Stig is the only person in the school that is taller than her and meets all of her boyfriend requirements. Of course, Stig is immediately swept up by the "mean girl" Kimmy.
From there, viewers are swept into the age-old story of not realizing the perfect person has been standing right in front of you the entire time. The characters are very set in their ways, Kimmy remains the mean girl and Stig realizes too late that he has lost his chance with Jodi.
Of course, all of their more intimate moments in the movie happen while Stig is in a relationship with Kimmy and is later caught in a lie by Dunkleman and on video.
The movie follows the stereotypical plotline of falling in love with your best friend. While this is a famous plot point, it is becoming increasingly overused and boring.
I thought the revealed reason why Dunkleman carries around the milk crate is cute, but some other people may not agree (cough, cough my friend thinks this is creepy). Jodi's problems seem hyped up and when put into perspective, are not unlike the problems teenagers face.
Jodi is insecure about her height until the end of the movie. She builds upon her insecurities throughout the movie, much like teenagers do in real life.
Overall, "Tall Girl" is not a bad movie, the message is just overused. It falls into a recent Netflix rom-com trope with little to no character development by the end of the movie.
The purpose is lost and leaves viewers unsatisfied. Does Kimmy eventually change? Do Dunkleman and Jodi last? Who knows.
