By Kelly Vasquez
Netflix just rolled out their newest teen romance last month called “Tall Girl.” The film isn’t necessarily bad, but it is definitely problematic.
The movie is entertaining without a doubt, but viewers are left feeling like, “Did I really just watch that?” as the credits are rolling.
Netflix is well known for its recent teen romance films including “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” the “Kissing Booth,” and the “Perfect Date.”
Some are a hit with audiences, while some fall flat.
The film is directed by Nzingha Stewart and stars Dance Moms’ star, Ava Michelle as Jodi, the tall girl
The film also features Sabrina Carpenter as Jodi’s older, shorter and more beautiful sister, Luke Eisner as Stig, the new hot and tall foreign exchange student, and Griffin Gluck as the try-hard best friend that is head over heels for Jodi.
“Tall Girl” generated buzz on social media when the film debuted its trailer.
Many were quick to call out the plot and how silly it is. The film follows a tall white teenage girl named Jodi who is shown to be bullied constantly for her height.
In fact, the film opens with her flirting with a boy, who quickly retreat once he realizes how tall she is.
When describing herself, she even says, “You think your life is hard? I’m a high school junior wearing size 13 Nikes. Men’s size 13 Nikes. Beat that.” This line in particular didn’t resonate with viewers.
In a society where teenagers are faced with life-threatening issues, such as school shootings and hate crimes, this line ends up sounding extremely privileged, especially coming from a tall, thin, beautiful white woman.
The type of women that society sees as the standard in the model industry.
Tall Girl is full of lines like these and worse, cheesy stereotypes.
We have the black female best friend, the mean popular girl and the new hot foreign exchange student.
The film lacks originality and follows the typical formula for a teen movie.
Netflix had the chance to make more out of this film.
Instead the film followed a cliche formula. Jodi has no personality in the film.
Everything she does and says is somehow linked to her height.
The film revolves around love and for some reason instead of Jodi learning to love her height on her own, seeks validation from boys.
Although the film can be entertaining at times, audiences might be left annoyed with Jodi and the rest of the characters.
It would’ve made more of an impact if the film actually starred marginalized and oppressed teenagers that viewers can relate to.
Overall, “Tall Girl” isn’t a great piece of film. It does make for some good laughs though.
The film is now streaming on Netflix and is rated PG-13.