The early 2000s rom-com, arguably the best movie genre, is no more.
Netflix’s “Tall Girl 2” sparked this tragic realization. Where have all the playful, slightly unbelievable stories gone? Where are the tried and true happily ever afters? The ones where, against all odds, the guy gets the girl. Goodbye, Katherine Heigl. Hello, Ava Michelle?
Here’s a very blunt and fairly obvious disclaimer: I didn’t love “Tall Girl” or “Tall Girl 2.” I didn’t hate them, per se, but they are an embarrassment to the rom-com name. If my distaste for the “Tall Girl” franchise ruins any chance I have at meeting Sabrina Carpenter, so be it.
For those who haven’t watched the series, let me fill you in. In the first movie, we meet Jodi, a 16 year old from Louisiana. She is 6 feet ½ inches tall and very insecure – so much so that she says this wonderfully written line: “You think your life is hard? I’m a high school junior wearing size 13 Nikes. Men’s size 13 Nikes. Beat that.” The movie follows Jodi’s struggle in her dating life because she stands taller than all the boys in her grade. Ultimately, she gains confidence in her height and begins dating her best friend Dunkleman who is 5 feet 6 inches tall. In the Feb. 11 sequel, we find Jodi cast as the lead in the school play, where she now struggles with anxiety and self-doubt. We also see her end things with Dunkleman before they get back together at the end of the movie, even though neither character had changed. What we also saw, which ultimately inspired me to write this review, were her interactions with a new character Tommy.
Tommy starred alongside Jodi in their school’s production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” While she was on the outs with Dunkleman, played by white actor Griffin Gluck, Jodi explored a relationship with Tommy, portrayed by Dominican actor Juan Luis Castellanos. For a fleeting moment, we were led to believe that she might choose to be with Tommy; she claims that it was easier spending time with him. Still, she goes back to Dunkleman in all his short glory. If this story sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re probably thinking of Netflix’s other sequel “The Kissing Booth 2,” where protagonist Elle had an ongoing fling with a Hispanic Marco before going back to her white boyfriend, Noah. Or maybe you’re thinking of Netflix’s sequel for “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” where Lara Jean entertained a relationship with a Black John Ambrose, but still chose a white Peter Kavinsky by the credits. Do you see where I’m going with this?
Netflix has a problem with teen romance sequels. They can’t seem to make them well, at least not in my opinion. For some reason, their go-to storyline is to test the well-crafted relationship from the first movie with a token minority character. At least the trendsetter “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” had a Korean protagonist Lara Jean, but it still doesn’t require the exploitation of a different minority. While the classics like “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” didn’t have any racial diversity, they at least didn’t pretend to have representation only to strip it away.
As a white Jewish woman, I don’t know underrepresentation like people of color do. I can’t imagine it feels great, but I also can’t imagine a token side character would feel better. Especially so if that one token side character is only used to strengthen the white characters’ relationship (again, this excludes “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before).
Netflix has worsened at fulfilling this plot, too. With the aforementioned sequels for “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” they at least made the relationship with the side characters seem promising. In “Tall Girl 2,” Tommy had very little screen time. We know pretty much nothing about him besides the fact that he was a bigger kid growing up and is now in the school play. Even when he flirts with Jodi, Tommy just regurgitates more Jodi talk. For example, his first line was a recitation of Jodi’s monologue from the previous movie’s prom scene to Jodi in the present. Poor Tommy was never even given a chance compared to his Marco and John Ambrose inspirations.
I honestly wanted way less of Jodi and more of the side characters, which does not bode well for a movie’s protagonist. Jodi’s Black best friend Fareeda had a much more interesting plot, and we were only given a taste of her life.
My hope is that Netflix is through with the tall girls and the kissing booths. Most movies in this teen romance genre centralize on the ups and downs of being a young girl in the modern age, which is great. But when they do that and add in cultural representation for only the side characters, it’s those diverse side characters that suffer in plot. Instead, they should just focus on characters of color to begin with, because BIPOC teen girls exist, too.
As for “Tall Girl 2,” I have nothing personal against the actors and production crew. I just feel like we’ve made so many advancements in representation for Netflix to continue their sequel screwups. That, and their cancelling of shows with developed BIPOC characters, like “Julie and the Phantoms,” has left me disappointed. I guess I’ll just have to stick to “50 First Dates” for the 50th time, but you won’t hear me complaining.