In the fall of 2019, a new Netflix movie was released that had every teen talking. Every time you would go on a social media platform, people would be expressing their opinion about “Tall Girl,” but I don’t think I saw one good review on it. The world hated this new movie about a “pick me” girl who wouldn’t stop complaining about being tall as if there weren’t bigger problems in the world. 

“Tall Girl” was about Jodi (Ava Michelle) overcoming her insecurities of being tall and trying to fathom being a teenager. She had two love interests in the movie: Dunkin (Griffin Gluck) and Stig (Luke Eisner). As the movie plays out we see Jodi deal with bullies, boys, and prom night. By the end, she picks Dunklin and embraces her height.

You would think they would end the series there. However, apparently, there was more to say about this really tall teenager and her boring life.  

“Tall Girl 2” starts off by re-introducing the characters and presenting the main plot for the movie. Jodi learns how to juggle a relationship and other responsibilities, like being in the school play.  Jodi auditions for the lead role in the school’s rendition of “Bye Bye Birdy.” We see her fight with her rival from the previous movie, Kimmy (Clara Wilsey), for the role, but Jodi ends up getting it and Kimmy becomes her understudy. When she finds out that she was picked for the role, Jodi starts to doubt herself and her talent. She attempts to confide in her older sister, Harper (Sabrina Carpenter). In this particular scene, the acting by Sabrina is very cringy and laughable. She made things feel awkward and couldn’t collaborate with her co-star. This really surprised me because I’ve loved her in so many other roles. The writing for this scene was just embarrassing. 

Furthermore, the more work Jodi does for the play, the more she has on her mind. This makes her relationship with Dunkin suffer because he can see that she no longer has time for him. While having an anniversary dinner, they have a huge fight and break up. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see Griffin Gluck’s acting as Dunkin. He was surrounded by bad actors yet he managed to portray the character well and it made me enjoy watching him. His delivery of lines and overall persona was pleasing to observe.

Before opening night, Jodi and her co-star, Tommy (Jan Luis Castellanos), share a romantic kiss. Even though Jodi and Dunkin broke up, she still feels guilty about it. When she finally tells him, he runs off.  On opening night, Jodi becomes very nervous and tells Kimmy she should go on for her. Kimmy tells her that she has her back and will help her out however she can. Jodi then feels empowered enough to go on stage and do her best. After her performance, Jodi realizes she never had anything to worry about that she’s actually a good actress. However, let’s be honest, if she can’t act in real life, she can’t be that good in the play.

While in the dressing room after the show, Dunkin shows up and confesses that he still loves her. Jodi announces that she loves him too and they live happily ever after, or at least as happy as a high school couple can be.

This movie was a major miss for Netflix. They never made me care about the characters or made me feel like they were important. Their attempt at humor was ridiculous and witless. The movie was uneventful and poorly written, with an exception of Dunkin’s character.

Overall, this movie was a cringey waste of production. Netflix was just trying to salvage the last movie that was also a trainwreck. The cheap acting and dull writing was unimpressive. I give this movie a 1/5.