'Tall Girl' Reminded Me of All of My Favorite 80s Movies

If you know me, you'll know that I'm not a fan of romantic comedies or teen movies - at least not any recent ones. I stan 80s movies, like 'Pretty in Pink', 'Sixteen Candles', 'Say Anything', and 'The Breakfast Club'; and 90s movies also hold a special place in my heart, like 'She's All That', '10 Things I Hate About You', and 'Cruel Intentions'.

As much as I love Netflix original series, their original movies so far have failed to captivate me. I wasn't a fan of 'All the Boys I've Loved Before' (don't hate me!) and I hated 'Sierra Burgess is a Loser' with a passion. But 'Tall Girl'? 'Tall Girl' really got to me.

Although I can't relate to the title of the movie (I stand at 5'0" ehe), 'Tall Girl' had everything I missed about the teen movies of old.

For starters, right from the beginning, Griffin Gluck (Jack Dunkleman) reminded me so much of Anthony Michael Hall in 'Sixteen Candles'. And Luke Eisner (Stig Mohlin), despite his bad Swedish accent, was SOOOOO dreamy, it almost hurt.

The makeover near the middle of the movie was so reminiscent of any old school movie where the girl removes her ponytail and puts on some makeup and suddenly becomes a hot girl. The same goes for Jodi's speech at the homecoming dance.

My favorite parts, though? When Dunkers gives her Pleasers. They're basically a brand of high heels that we wear for pole dancing. The minute she opened them, I knew exactly what they were - and when he mentioned that he bought them at a drag queen store, it was definitely confirmed. :p Here's an old Instagram post of me wearing one of my own pairs of Pleaser shoes:

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Had a mini photo shoot to show off my @pleaserph shoes ❤

A post shared by Angeline Rodriguez (@lilmisswonderwoman) on Mar 2, 2017 at 8:05pm PST

On a deeper level, I like how 'Tall Girl' touched on bullying and the effects it has on a high school student's mind, while also showing how it can affect the student's parents. I know some people think the premise sounds a bit shallow, being bothered about something like height when there are so many bigger issues out there; but when you're in high school, things like that really matter.

I remember I was always bullied for having bad teeth and for not speaking Filipino and although it didn't really take a toll on me as much (growing up in a country where foreigners - Asians included - were bashed and bullied non-stop gave me pretty thick skin), we can't really decide how hard things like this may hit a kid's self-esteem or mental health.

I also love the emphasis on family relationships, in general, and that ending? I found myself crying so hard out of laughter and happiness... though that might also be coz I'm getting my period soon. :p

Overall, 'Tall Girl' is a light, fun, and entertaining movie to watch. It got a lot of backlash when the trailer came out, but I gotta admit I enjoyed it immensely. Have you seen it yet? What did you think of it? :)