I'm sure it will be mentioned in nearly every review of the new teen comedy THE DUFF, but I need to go on record as well. Under no definition of any of the words in the phase "Designated Ugly Fat Friend" is the film's star Mae Whitman ("Parenthood," SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER) ugly or fat. In fact, the 26-year-old actress is rather adorable and unique and spirited in a completely infectious way that makes her easy to like in any role. And as much back-peddling as the film does in defining and then re-defining what a "DUFF" truly is, Whitman doesn't quite fit the bill. This is one of many inherent flaws in this weirdly dated work.
If I'm not mistaken, THE DUFF is attempting to be something of a throwback to teen films of the '80s and '90s, in which the outcast is king/queen and the popular kids are the judgmental villains. Except that according to the logic of the script from Josh A. Cagan (based on the Kody Keplinger novel), these third stringers in life now serve a purpose for the first stringers—they become the friends of the pretty people to make the pretties look even prettier. Get it? They also serve as a conduit to and/or buffer between the pretty ones and the common folks who might want to get near them. It's a curious, somewhat sinister system that I'm not sure makes complete sense, but the purposes of this film, let's assume it's true in the universe of this high school.
Once Whitman's character Bianca realizes that she serves this purpose among her two best friends Casey (Bianca A. Santos) and Jess (Skyler Samuels), she does the most logical thing, which is to distance herself from them and see if she can stand on her own. She takes advice on being her own person from her charming next-door neighbor and jock among jocks Wesley (Robbie Amell of "The Flash"), much to the chagrin of Wesley's on-again/off-again girlfriend and designated mean girl Madison (Bella Thorne).
The thing I noticed immediately about pretty much every character on THE DUFF is that they know nothing about how computers, social media, viral videos, high school or anything related to teenagers actually works. I spent most of the film thinking, "People don't do that or think like that or act like that." And I realize there's a level of suspension of disbelief with every film, but I got the feeling this one was trying to capture something of the teenage zeitgeist, and it just wasn't clicking even on a farcical level.
Director Ari Sandel (VINCE VAUGHN’S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW) takes us through Bianca's disaster of a senior year with the grace of a buffalo on ice skates, and I think we pretty much know from the beginning that someone as singular and smart as Bianca is going to decide in the end that being her own unique brand of cool is the best path for her. The problem is, we're then forced to endure 100 minutes of movie to get to that point. When Whitman and Amell are alone and talking, there's a chemistry there that is absolutely captivating and charming. They aren't actually meant to be love interests for most of the film, but their pairing is a portrait of a friendship that is easy to enjoy and settle into. It's only when the most two-dimensional, colorless supporting team comes it that everything becomes muddled.
The adults in THE DUFF are meant to be the comic relief, but they provide neither comedy nor relief. Actors like Romany Malco, Ken Jeong and the almost always reliable Allison Janney (as Bianca's motivational speaker mother) swoop in from time to time, do or say something idiotic, and exit having had little to no impact on the plot. It's sad at best, embarrassing at worst. Somewhere in an alternate universe, there's a better, more thoughtful version of this movie—a version where the kids are treated with respect, like flesh and blood human beings and not cliches with legs.
There are just enough moments that capture the awkward relationships and feelings of high school to prove to me that someone involved in THE DUFF’s making knew what they were doing and writing about. This could have been a stand-out piece about being and embracing who you are, instead of this fluffy attempt at a quirky humor. The film is more frustrating than terrible, because there is potential written all over it. I can't recommend it, but there are things about it worth mentioning.
