Tall Girl is a high school movie that’s engaging, well-acted and feels extra special because it’s the story of Jodi (Ava Michelle), a teenage girl who just happens to be more than six feet tall.

Directed by Nzingha Stewart, it’s also the first movie about the ‘tall girl high school experience’ that I know of. This key difference, along with the promise of comedy and Griffin Gluck – the now grown up young actor who was brilliant in  Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia (1999) are the reasons I just had to tune in.

In terms of the film’s comedy categorisation, I did laugh a few times, but I’d say I was moved more than I was amused. Besides the stage-time moment that seemed to reference the Kanye West/Taylor Swift 2009 Grammy Awards situation, and one or two of Jodie’s exchanges with her father (Steve Zahn) at the dinner table, I had fun overall. There just aren’t many especially amusing moments in Tall Girl that spring to mind.

As for the scenes that moved me, they include every effort that Jodie’s father made to help his daughter, Jodi’s relationship with her sister, her best friend; and of course the scene at the end with the ‘wooden school bag.’

Watch Tall Girl for a well-executed look at a very specific high school experience. There’s also beautiful messages about self acceptance, inner beauty and a timely reminder of the challenge that is effective parenting.

Happy Film Loving,

G