March 8, 2022
Like most Netflix romance flicks, Tall Girl 2 follows the precedent of introducing a new love interest in a franchise’s sequel.
Let’s be honest… Tall Girl (2019) fell short.
The internet destroyed the main character, Jodi Kreyman, a six-foot-two high school junior, for arguing that nothing is harder than being an abnormally tall teenager. And this was on top of the movie’s lackluster plot and occasionally downright laughable scenes.
So, given all of the criticism surrounding the first movie, expectations for any Tall Girl sequel were not very high.
Nevertheless, Netflix released Tall Girl 2, directed by Emily Ting and starring Ava Michelle, on February 11, 2022, and the film follows Jodi through her spring semester.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad in comparison to the first movie, and there was more character growth in it than other mainstream Netflix rom-coms, such as The Kissing Booth or the To All the Boys trilogies.
While Jodi auditions for her school’s spring musical, Bye Bye Birdie, the teacher in charge of casting addresses what critics complained about with the first Tall Girl movie: there are worse things in the world than being tall.
Jodi’s response fits perfectly. “It’s just sometimes it feels like it is, but I know that it’s not. It just doesn’t make all the bad things that have happened to me every day for my entire life any less real.”
People are really quick to judge, but everybody should be able to relate to what Jodi said to some extent, and it was reassuring to hear.
We all complain about our lives and say things are “the worst” when we know they aren’t, especially as teenagers. The fact that a situation isn’t actually the worst doesn’t lessen the problem in any way; it doesn’t make the problem any less real or any less of a problem to that person.
Other relationships develop as well. Stig (Luke Eisner) and Dunkleman (Griffin Gluck) become friends. Kimmy (Clara Wilsey) and Jodi reach an understanding. Jodi’s parents find ways to constructively support her.
It was refreshing to see the movie highlight relationships other than the one between Jodi and her love interest.
Plot-wise, however, Tall Girl 2 followed the same second-movie cookie-cutter structure as The Kissing Booth 2 and the To All the Boys sequel, P.S. I Still Love You. It usually goes as follows: Girl and boy from the first movie have been dating for a while (cue some kind of montage). Girl and boy argue. Girl meets second love interest (often cast as POC, whereas the main love interest is usually white). Girl and new love interest kiss/flirt, but then the original love interest finds out. By the end, the girl and the first boy are back together. You get the point.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Tall Girl 3 were to come out, only for its plot to center around Jodi’s college ambitions– following the precedents set by other Netflix rom-coms. Tall Girl 2 even sets up for it with Jodi’s parents discussing the possibilities of her admittance to Julliard, despite her having few credentials and almost zero qualifications. Again, differing very little from other rom-coms.
Overall, though, if you have an abundance of time and find comfort in the typical Netflix rom-com, Tall Girl 2 was better than its prequel. It surpassed my low expectations, and it was nice to see a character fill such large shoes — size 13 Nikes to be specific — with so much potential.
