Self-awareness is important, especially when it comes to recognizing our own tastes. While I like to think that the things I consume are of the ‘highest quality’, I’m aware of the fact that I sometimes get too invested in something I’d deem bad by my own standards— and that’s okay!
Tall Girl 2 is garbage, but it’s my garbage. While I acknowledge that this sequel isn’t Shrek 2 levels of perfection, I do think that it is somewhat of a step up from the last movie. While to many that’s not much of an achievement, I find it to be quite impressive.
If you don’t want to be spoiled, turn back now. I won’t summarize too much of the movie, but I do suggest you watch it to understand some of my points.
Nonetheless, let’s begin!
Is Tall Girl 2 unnecessary?
Definitely. It’s to the point where even I can’t justify its own existence. Usually, these kinds of movies are based on book trilogies that already have arcs set up and conflicts that will foreseeably be touched on in its sequels. To All The Boys I Loved Before had this with all the letters being sent out, the thought of another love interest coming forward being a possibility, and so did The Kissing Booth with their male lead leaving for Harvard at the end of the first movie, thus prompting a long distance relationship conflict that could be explored later on.
With this in mind, Tall Girl was built more as a completed movie series. All the major conflicts that drove the plot were solved: Jodi learns to love herself in all her tallness, she stands up to all her bullies, and she starts dating Dunkleman.
There was no reason anyone really expected there to be a sequel because it didn’t need or warrant one. Nonetheless, Netflix being the money hungry company they are (like all companies), they popped out another movie sequel nobody asked for. We as consumers really shouldn’t be surprised but, even though it was unexpected, it doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.
Since there was nothing left from the first plot to divulge into the second one, Tall Girl 2 basically had to reinvent itself. The movie predominantly focused on working with its character dynamics, which were surprisingly well-written. Whenever I talk about this movie to others, I always mention how good the dialogue and on-screen chemistry is. The characters were explored way more and, to an extent, felt real. Because of this, I was able to appreciate more of their fun personalities like Stig’s innocent awkwardness, Dunker’s eccentricity, and Jodi’s honest nature.
It was like watching someone in their natural element and it gave the movie a sort of charisma. Although some side characters weren’t as prominent as others, the main crew’s energy was immaculate and very fun. It was an aspect of the movie I overall really liked.
Speaking of liking things, Dunkleman and Jodi’s relationship was adorable to look at, especially at the beginning. I was actually invested despite knowing their fallout was going to be the main conflict of the story. Fortunately, the fight that prompted this wasn’t as big as I originally thought it would be, which has its pros and cons. The pros being that them getting back together didn’t seem unreasonable or as if it was the wrong choice. The cons being how frustrating it was seeing something that could be so easily solved being blown out of proportion. However, no matter how dramatic the situation got, the writers needed more time and what better way to do that than to add some extra spice to their conflict?
And, this is where Tommy Torres comes in.
A lesson on love triangles…
First, let’s talk about why second male leads work as love rivals and why Tommy doesn’t.
What makes second male leads work depends a lot on how they interact with the protagonist and the way they go about their romantic pursuits. Usually, the protagonist is still with their partner by the time they meet, which is why they aren’t explicitly romantic with them and typically push for a friendship first. It allows the audience to see the duo’s chemistry and determine if maybe they should become more than friends. That’s also why usually the second male lead has more in common with the protagonist, it’s a leg up from the first male lead who might not have those similarities with them. Then, when the female lead breaks it off with her boyfriend, the second male lead can finally make his intentions and feelings known without having to worry about the fallen relationship.
Tommy doesn’t follow this formula well. The writers try, but he doesn’t feel like a second male lead, rather a plot device to extend the movie runtime and miscommunication between Jodi and Dunkleman.
He actively flirted with Jodi when they met, who still had a boyfriend at this point, and consecutively hit on her despite Jodi not really reciprocating. The first scenes with them felt like the guy who’s flirting way too bluntly and the girl who ignores it in order to keep the peace. While some of his lines are cute, they are way too forward way too soon. They don’t feel as natural as they should and Tommy just reminded me of those guys that hit on you to get with you once and be on their way.
While I know that his character wouldn’t do that, it is the way he is portrayed that makes it seem like he would.
In terms of commonality with the protagonist, Tommy has theatre and body image issues. These are all good traits to have in common and are great segways for them to have deep conversations about, but it all falls flat in the execution. Instead of them casually just talking and hanging out, leading to them having a moment where they dance goofily and kiss, they have a whole choreographed dance scene in the park where a kiss that feels slightly forced is made.
So, despite Tommy flopping as a love rival, is this a major flaw in the movie? The answer is a bit more complicated than you might think.
Yes in the way that they misused a character and quickly got rid of him once his purpose had been fulfilled. No in the way that he didn’t destroy or make the audience dislike the main couple. Tall Girl 2 was never meant to be a suspenseful, will-they-won’t-they love triangle movie; it was pretty obvious from the beginning that Jodi and Dunkers were going to stay together.
This is one of the big reasons why I also like this film. It didn’t entertain the idea of Jodi and Tommy for too long nor make him seem better than Dunkleman. Love triangle tropes usually use the second male lead to have the protagonist realize that they actually still love the first male lead, thus having them pursue their ex-lover once again. The reason Tall Girl 2’s take on this works is because it doesn’t last the whole movie. It is not the center focus nor is it a plotline we have to spend too much time on. Jodi either wants to date Tommy or she doesn’t, it’s as simple as that.
Thoughts on Jodi?
Jodi by no means is a perfect protagonist, but she doesn’t irritate me like typical female leads do when they’re caught in some form of love conflict. You can tell that, even though she’s confused with her feelings, she still cares about Dunkleman. The proof here being how she told him about her kiss with Tommy after they broke up. Normally, the female lead keeps her mouth shut about any post break up romantic interactions she has had with the second male lead in hopes that her and the first male lead will get back together. She doesn’t really try to keep it a secret but it’s something you know she wants to avoid talking about. Then, the first male lead finds out through some other person and feels betrayal and manipulated, thus chaos and drama ensues.
Jodi avoids all this by telling Dunkleman straight up what happened in their chemistry class, thus creating an open, blank slate for the healing process of their relationship to begin. Sure, Dunkers gets mad and it takes longer for them to actually communicate and reconcile, but it was a very considerate move to make in regards to being honest with Dunkleman. Had Jodi not said anything and word got out, their relationship would’ve backtracked all the progress they had made and started back at point zero.
Although she isn’t my favorite character, Jodi did subvert some of my expectations in how she’d respond to certain situations. Although a small detail, it is one much appreciated and noted.
Conclusion
It’s time to erase the stigma that there has to be some level of mainstream acceptance for us to be able to enjoy certain media. Although I do praise Tall Girl 2, this article is not in defense of it. There are many things that the movie just does wrong like its overwhelming amount of plotlines, its poor depiction of anxiety, and over abundance of characters. While I don’t think it’s a complete trainwreck like some YouTube commentators will tell you, it is a guilty pleasure of mine that I love talking about. Hopefully more people will be comfortable publicly enjoying their own unpopular consumptions.
Who knows? Maybe the films we consider garbage today will be considered cult classics in a few years.