I’ll begin this review by advising anyone under six feet tall who is currently reading this to stop reading. Being tall is something very few of us have to live with, and it is an issue that I, being 5’6”, have been faced with since I was young. The protagonist of “Tall Girl,” who I will simply be referring to as “Tall Girl,” deals with the same problem throughout the film. Despite Tall Girl clocking in at a whopping 6’1” (and a half), I feel as if her problems were immensely (pun intended) relatable because I have also suffered for being above average height for a woman in the United States (which is 5’4,” in case you were planning on Googling it).
The true genius of “Tall Girl” is the simple yet effective plot. While some films consist of convoluted, hard to follow plots, like “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle,” this film has a very straightforward plot: She’s tall. It was very refreshing to watch a film with a fresh, simplistic storyline that I could follow and understand. At this point, if you’re thinking, “Well, surely the plot has got to be more complex than that!” Congrats—you’re wrong! Tall Girl is tall, and everyone else isn’t, and that’s the movie. Oh, wait! I did forget to mention, ***spoiler alert*** she’s tall.
The film does a great job of not rubbing it in your face that Tall Girl is, in fact, tall. The writing is sleek and sophisticated with only about 13 instances of the classic, “How’s the weather up there?” and the iconic joke, “Taylor Swift? More like Taller Swift.” Watching this movie, you would really have no idea she’s even tall, although the use of actors under 5’7” and what I’m definitely sure is a slightly shrunken down set does allude to the fact that Tall Girl very well could be 6’1” (and a half). The writing also makes it clear that the oppression of Tall Girl doesn’t just come from the fact she’s tall—she is also rich and good at piano and that is why she’s made fun of!
Throughout the film, Tall Girl’s dad wonders about her health because she is so ridiculously tall. At 6’1” (and a half), it is no wonder he is worried! No woman has ever been over 6 feet! Certainly not Geena Davis (6’), Brooke Shields (6’), Elizabeth Debicki (6’3”), Sigourney Weaver (6’) and many others. She is just so ridiculously tall I can’t quite fathom it, and I’m above average in height myself. Because of the judgement tall girl faces for her monstrous height, she researches height-reduction surgery. All of us who are tall understand why she did this. If I were her height, I would probably sacrifice part of my femur to be shorter as well. And honestly, how many of us are using our femurs much anyway?
A minor side plot of the film is Tall Girl finding herself stuck in a love triangle with her best friend (who is short…comparatively) and a Swedish foreign exchange student (who is, you guessed it…tall). She does, however, complain about not having men interested in her because she is so lengthy. This aspect of the movie is one that I admire. If she were gay, she would not have any of these problems. Just from personal observation, most women are willing to date someone taller than themselves. The unique choice to make her a heterosexual tall girl is a plot device that works wonders! More films should use it! We don’t have enough heterosexual romcoms if you ask me. Nope, I’ve never heard of Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan, so why do you ask?
If this review has compelled you to witness the masterpiece that is “Tall Girl,” you can find it on Netflix. So, for the few of you that have a Netflix subscription, you can find the movie by searching “oppressed for being tall.” It should be the only thing that pops up. Or, if you look up “dance moms girl fired for being too tall” it might come up there, too.
I advise everyone to watch this film! It was a roller coaster from start to finish. It started about a girl who is tall and ended with a speech about how being tall shouldn’t be grounds for bullying. Tall girl is basically Cady Heron from “Mean Girls” if Cady were the size of an oak tree and talked about how tall she is every 30 seconds. And, while “Mean Girls” may be the better movie when it comes to “acting” or “writing,” there is one thing “Tall Girl” has that “Mean Girls” doesn’t: one outrageously tall girl. For that, I give this movie 6 feet out of 6.
