By Gigi L.
Ladies and gentlemen, they did it again. After the catastrophe that was “Tall Girl” came out in 2019, Netflix thought it would be a brilliant idea to make a sequel. Did anyone ask for this? No. Did anyone want this? Also no. In fact, the audience was not too happy about this continuation considering it received 2 stars and a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. But, they did it anyway because Netflix is on a roll with these trashy rom-coms. So, without further ado, let’s unpack this mess. (Spoilers are to come.)
For those of you who do not know, the first “Tall Girl” movie is basically about an outcast girl named Jodi who has had to deal with the struggles and oppression of being a tall, pretty, blonde girl all throughout her life. She has two friends, Fareeda and Jack (Jack is madly in love with her because why not?) One day, a Swedish exchange student named Stig shows up and Jodi falls head over heels for him for the sole reason that he is taller than her. I find it impossible to believe that Jodi has never met a guy who is taller than her because she is only 6’1”, but that is beside the point. Jack obviously hates Stig because he stole the heart of his woman, but to add fuel to the fire, Stig is going to be living with Jack’s family for the duration of his time in good ol’ ‘Merica. After 1 hour and 42 minutes of classic high-school-rom-com nonsense, Jodi ends up with Jack. Cute.
The second movie is even worse. This is mainly because of the fact that there is no storyline whatsoever. The whole plot is that Jodi and Jack break up because Jodi is busy with the school play. There is so much random information that is just thrown in that does not tie into the basic plot. For example, Stig’s sister comes to stay with them, Fareeda designs these ugly zipper-hoodie things, Stig and Fareeda fall in love; I could go on. None of this information adds anything to the plot, mind you, because the plot is so stupid. The writers could have woven these plot points into a much better sequence to make them all work together and relate to one message, but why would they ever do that?
Another thing I want to focus on is the love-triangle potential this movie had. At the beginning of “Tall Girl 2,” Jodi meets a guy named Tommy. Tommy and Jodi kind of flirt, there’s a little chemistry, you know? Then, after Jack and Jodi break up, Jodi and Tommy have a moment and they KISS. Now, this would have been the perfect opportunity for some “Kissing Booth 2”-esque action. They could have had a love triangle between Jodi, Tommy, and Jack. They could have had tension between Jack and Tommy. They could have had suspense with Jodi deciding who to give the final rose to. But no, of course not, why would Netflix ever make a conscious decision? Instead, Jodi and Tommy kiss, Jodi tells Jack, Jack pouts for a bit, Jodi and Tommy decide to forget it ever happened, and that useless plot point is done. A missed opportunity, I believe.
One more thing to complain about is the theme of the movie, a problem that was also seen in the first film. The message is not very relatable. The whole premise of the movie is Jodi breaking down barriers and proving to the world that she is more than just a tall girl. However, it is hard for people to resonate with this message because, in real life, Jodi would not even be considered that tall. It is not as pressing of an issue in the real world as the movie makes it seem. Plus, being tall is basically this girl’s whole personality. Rolling with the tall thing is fine, I guess, but it is way too exaggerated for viewers to identify with it.
All in all, I think this movie could have been fine. If the writers just constructed the story more articulately and somehow made all the random plot points contribute to one message, it would have been a much better movie. I am not saying that it is terrible, especially considering that it is supposed to be a little dumb and air-headed, but from a creative standpoint, this one goes in the trash. Although, it might not fit…