In Joseph McGinty’s “Tall Girl”, the cliche, nonsensical plot only leaves room for major storyline inconsistencies. This and the lack of character development contribute to the incoherent message the film attempts to deliver. 

Cinema enthusiasts and avid viewers of romantic comedies know that the Netflix Original had no intention of producing groundbreaking content. However, the coming-of-age narrative sloppily assembles a barrage of rom-com tropes, ultimately distracting from the focus of the film. The movie also proves deficient in the realm of character development, most notably in the lead role portrayed by Ava Michelle. 

The film follows a tall high school student, Jodi Kreyman, as she struggles to find a boyfriend as tall as her. Since the character has an “unusual” height of 73 inches, her peers incessantly tease her with the same predictable jokes. Even though longtime friend Jack Dunkleman professes his love to Jodi at various points in the film, she rejects his advances for the same alleged reason many boys do not want to date her: his height.  

While the film redeems itself with the genuine relationship formed between supporting characters Jack Dunkleman and Liz, for the most part, interactions do not seem realistic. Jodi’s connection with primary love interest Stig Mohlin, for insistence, revolves entirely around the fact that they are both tall. Because the relationship between Stig and Jodi has a greater impact on the story line, the film completely disregards all other meaningful character connections.

Aside from decent character development among the supporting cast, the movie lacks in several aspects. Not only does the film incorporate overused cliches regarding bullying and awkward “crush” encounters, but it also uses tropes that do not fit the story. This appears most notable when Jodi falls for an underdog love interest “who had been there all along” even though the majority of the film focuses on strengthening the relationship between her and Stig.

A film littered with overused plot lines and flawed character development, “Tall Girl” proves deficient in the major aspects of a memorable and realistic teenage romance.  The main character may have been tall, but the movie falls short of expectations.