“You think your life is hard? I’m a high school junior wearing size 13 Nikes. Men’s size 13 Nikes.”  To think that in 2019, we as a society have yet to experiment with deeper and more meaningful coming of age stories is pitiful.  I’m not here to spread an anti-body positive agenda, because at the end of the day learning to love the body you were given is important, and if movie producers could go about it in a unique way that we as an audience have never witnessed before I wouldn’t have any complaints.  

Tall Girl focuses on the insecurities we all possess, which seems promising at first.  When actually watching the movie however it appears as though the protagonist uses her insecurities to negate the struggles of those around her and as a viewer it feels insensitive and leads the audience to believe that she is ignorant.     

Tall Girl came out on September 13th, 2019.  However, based on the plot alone it seems like a movie that should have been released in the early to mid-2000’s when anything even relatively out of the norm would make you the perfect protagonist in a cheesy teen movie.  The film follows 16-year old Jodi Kreyman as she undergoes the trials and tribulations faced by every teenager in 2019, the exception being that she is 6’1.   

Throughout the film, several characters along with their own struggles are introduced.  Despite fitting into numerous stereotypes, these characters have clear issues themselves most of which also surround their appearances and status in the social pyramid.  It’s a nice sentiment of how everyone has insecurities and compares themselves to others, but that’s all this movie has going for it and to be blunt it’s nothing new. 

 This film seems out of touch with the current generation and social climate.  With catastrophic events taking place on a weekly basis, the “woe is me” tone present in Tall Girl seemed insensitive.  From a distance, the plot of Tall Girl is comforting and relatable; it was the poor execution that doomed the movie for mockery.   

The film felt as though it was written and directed by pre-teens and elementary students, and the clear disconnect from today’s youth struck me as odd.  The cast is made up of fairly young actors and actresses, yet it feels so unrelatable and fake.  It’s almost as if the plot was written by someone who has never attended a high school, the snide remarks from Jodi’s peers seem so unrealistic that it made watching this movie painful.  

 I went into this movie hoping to write a positive review but was left feeling unsatisfied.  So, if you’re still in the process of deciding whether or not to give this movie a chance I would recommend going based on your preference.  If you enjoy the cookie-cutter coming of age story, I don’t see why you wouldn’t appreciate Tall Girl.