Review: ‘Tall Girl 2’ contains better storyline, underwhelming acting

New Netflix release follows high school students in sequel to 2019 hit

Courtesy+of+Netflix.

Courtesy of Netflix.

The second adaption of Netflix’s “Tall Girl” (2019) follows junior Jodi Kreyman (Ava Michelle) as she auditions for the spring musical at her high school. Even with the complications of being over 6 feet tall, Jodi lands the lead role as Kim McAfee in “Bye Bye Birdie.” Jodi must learn to balance her life as a leading lady and as a girlfriend and best friend as she meets new people and takes a chance on something that scares her. 

The film features the same cast as the original film, with actors including Sabrina Carpenter, Griffin Gluck, Luke Eisner and Anjelika Washington playing the friends and family of Jodi who love and support her as she navigates high school as the second tallest person in her class. As popular as the first film was, the acting in both films has been less than adequate. The acting did not feel believable and substantially cheesy, even for a kids’ movie. There were moments in the film that were laughed at not because of the humor but due to the awkward acting and these moments were not meant to be awkward.

In the first film, a German foreign exchange student, who is taller than Jodi, shows up at their school in San Francisco. Jodi immediately falls for the charming Stig Molhin (Luke Eisner) and leaves her best friend Jack “Dunk” Dunkleman (Griffin Gluck) alone longing for Jodi. Dunk has been in love with Jodi since elementary school and not until junior year did he finally get the girl. After an inspiring gift from Dunk to Jodi and a revolutionary homecoming speech, Dunk and Jodi ended up together at the end of the first movie. 

Dunk and Jodi had been going strong for three months at the start of the second movie, however, things get a little rocky when Jodi meets her co-star in the school musical – Tommy. Tommy (Jan Luis Castellanos) is a handsome theater star who plays the love interest to Jodi’s character in the show. A short romance is sparked between the two, but Jodi ends things when she realizes she is not over Dunk and doesn’t want to be.

The storyline in the second film is stronger and more interesting than the first film. Most people really only watched the first film to make fun of it, but the second film might strike a different reaction. The drama in “Tall Girl 2” is much more relatable and less cheesy. Jodi has to realize even though she is not normal, she deals with the struggles of everybody else. She gets nervous before going on stage and is confused about her love life. Not all of us are over 6 feet tall, but all of us have to deal with the struggles high school brings along.

For those who didn’t enjoy the first film, the sequel has a different feeling to it and one that might surprise viewers. The storyline is much better than the original, however, there is still that element of unconvincing acting. Overall, this film deserves a 6/10 rating. It is certainly not the worst film on Netflix, but it’s not the best either.