Although most of us are in college to learn and make lasting memories, we also take it upon ourselves to binge-watch the latest television series or movie in our spare time. We do not even need televisions anymore, thanks to services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Recently, I was inundated with previews of a new Netflix movie called Tall Girl. Now, I do not know if this was because I am a tall girl, or because Netflix believed it would be their next hit, but I was intrigued. It was released on September 13th, and I watched it with the anticipation that it would be a light-hearted rom-com that I might relate to a little bit. My expectations were fulfilled, and yet I was still a little disappointed.
The storyline is thin and very predictable, and the trailer pretty much gives the whole story away. It felt like it was meant for girls and boys in middle school. I guess I should not really be surprised, as the film is rated PG and tagged as “teen romance” on Netflix. All the actors who are not the “tall girl” are under 5’7,” which is just unrealistic for high school. The movie was also too long; I think it would have been better as a TV series. At least that way, you can add more dimension to the characters as the series goes on. The movie is also seriously lacking in diversity. The only non-white actors are the main character’s best friend and the “villain.” Everyone else is white with the exception of one or two extras in the background. To top it all off, the movie is pitying a gorgeous white girl in an upper-middle-class family. She does not really have that rough of a life. Yes, she might hit her head a few more times than the rest, but it is really not that much of a struggle. I can tell you– I have been the “tall girl.”
After being disappointed with Tall Girl, I decided to check out some other shows Netflix has dropped in the last few weeks, hoping they would help me revive my faith in the streaming service.
I started with The Politician. While it was very fast-paced and hard to keep up with at times, the cast (led by Ben Platt and Gwyneth Paltrow) did a great job of making the audience believe they were really dedicated to their high school student government campaigns, while also over exaggerating it just enough to make us all reflect on how it was life-or-death when we tried to become student body president in our own high schools. This is a show I would recommend, but with a trigger warning. The show’s trigger warning says: “The Politician is a comedy about moxie, ambition, and getting what you want at all cost. But for those who struggle with their mental health, some elements may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.” Specifically, if suicide is in any way triggering to you, this might be a show to skip. There are currently 8 episodes and they range from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the episode.
Another show that came out in September was The I-Land. I think the best way to describe this series is a cross between Lost and Survivor. The premise of the show is that 10 people wake up on an island and have no memory of who they are or why they are there. There are instantly issues between some of the members of the groups, which lead to secrets, fighting, and hiding resources. Although I have not yet watched past the first episode, it appears that groups are naturally forming, and my guess is that there is someone watching over the island that will pit them against each other. There are 7 episodes right now, all about 40 minutes long.
The final show I chose to use as a comparison was Unbelievable. Big trigger warning on this one; it is entirely about rape and has a big emphasis on the way victims are treated after a sexual assault. The show starts off with an 18-year-old girl named Marie Adler, who lives on her own, recounting her rape to the police. Again, I have only seen the first episode, but it appears to be a very interesting story about this girl who lives in at-risk-youth housing and how she is so shaken up by what has happened that she struggles to recount her rape, which causes everyone to not believe her. Then, three years later, there is a similar attack. This show is based on a true story, and the real Marie Adler has called the show “excellent” according to the co-author of the original article, Ken Armstrong. It has 8 episodes, and they range between 45 minutes and an hour.
Netflix, and other streaming services do a great job of giving content in a wide variety. In this particular case, Tall Girl just wasn’t for me, but I would think that a tall middle school girl might enjoy it. For Conn students though, I would definitely recommend any of the other shows above. I am hooked on The Politician with all its dramatic ups and downs, The I-Land is a great mystery that you get to solve with the show, and Unbreakable is such an amazing true story. There are plenty of other shows out there too, and new ones are being added every day. My advice — do not waste your time on Tall Girl or any other show/movie that you do not find interesting. After all, it is your free time being spent on it, so you might as well enjoy it! •
