Tall Girl Movie Review

All of us have that one insecurity that we wish we could just get rid of. For Jodie Kreyman, that insecurity is her height, which is specifically 6’1 ½ inches. Jodie has struggled with her height since she was young, always being the tallest in pictures and being subject to bullying and name-calling from enemies Schnipper and Kimmy Stitcher. Kimmy never misses a chance to hit Jodie with an insult, which, along with other comments, cause Jodie to try to mask her height as much as she can, wearing large hoodies and slouching as much as she can. Fortunately, Jodie has best friend Fareeda, aspiring fashion designer and continual motivator, and friend Jack Dunkleman, a very public admirer, by her side. Fareeda and Jack always try to help Jodie feel more comfortable in her own skin, but mostly to no avail. Jodie also experiences the sense of not fitting in with her family. Her sister Harper is a pageant queen, and her mother always put a focus on her instead of Jodie. Her father also continuously tries to find remedies and causes for her height; even though he is trying to be helpful, he ends up making Jodie feel worse about her height. However, Jodie’s prospects change with the arrival of the Swedish exchange student, Stig, who is the one student who is taller than her. Stig, who lives with the very jealous Dunkleman, takes a liking to Jodie but is conflicted with his own desire to fit in at his new environment. Tall Girl explores the relationships with Jodie with all of the people around her and her own personal growth and feeling comfortable as who she is. Tall Girl follows the storyline of a typical romantic comedy, with main character Jodie finding her own identity through a journey of love and friendship. The movie gives us a villain, a comedian, and someone to root for. Of course, the movie also ends with the main character finding her confidence and being able to find someone to share it with. When looking at the movie as a whole however, factors like her family life also come into play, such as looking at the true difficulties of her life and how they compare to others. The movie has received several criticisms around the fact that the movie is essentially about a girl who’s biggest problem revolves around the fact that she is tall. There are several tall girls and boys in high schools, and the movie has portrayed their lives in a way that does not match reality, such as the fact that many of the students seemed to be much shorter than Jodie even though she was only 6’1 ½. Many students today also struggle with issues such as bullying because of religion, sexism, physical and mental illnesses, and homophobia, and this movie makes it seem as if being tall is similar to these much more intense issues that students deal with. While there are a few aspects of the movie that do not sit well with audiences, the message of the movie, being able to be comfortable with who you are, was shown well and can be seen as inspiring, even if being a little cliché.