Score: 3.5/5
Everyone has that one friend who’s a little odd, a little less cute and a little less popular. Every friend group has a DUFF, at least according to the recent film of the same name.
The movie’s peculiar character first came to life in Kody Keplinger’s book, “The DUFF.” While the film is just another teen movie, it’s also surprisingly clever at times, with some occasional, borderline blue humor.
The film’s “Designated Ugly Fat Friend,” Bianca, played by Mae Whitman, spends her high school career working for the school’s newspaper, watching weird movies and tossing around sarcastic comments. She’s quirky, but she’s a pretty average teen, or so she thought.
Her childhood neighbor and friend, Wesley, played by Robbie Amell, is the attractive high school quarterback, who also happens to be on-again off-again dating the popular girl, Madison, played by Bella Thorne.
Wesley brings Bianca’s world crashing down when he informs her she’s the DUFF of her friend group. An awestruck Bianca immediately ends her friendship with Jess and Casey, played by Skyler Samuels and Bianca A. Santos, respectively.
Bianca turns to the coolest guy in school for advice on becoming less DUFF and more like Wesley, to say the least. The remainder of the film chronicles Bianca and Wesley’s adventures as he advises her on how to be a better girl and score a date with her crush.
Inevitably, the two become attracted to each other throughout the process, which leads to a slew of entirely new problems when their two, very opposite, worlds collide.
Plot line aside, the cast has some entertaining names, including Allison Janney, as Bianca’s mother and Ken Jeong as the newspaper’s sponsor. Whenever the movie’s lacking, viewers can count on these two for a laugh.
Janney and Jeong offer humor everyone should find funny, but especially those in attendance who are a little more mature. This isn’t as adult as “The Hangover,” but it definitely has that hidden adult humor.
Whitman, most notably known for her role in “Parenthood,” also does a nice job in her character. Her wit and quirky charm make her both a likable and believable character. She seems to possess that rebellious, “I’m my own person” attitude in several roles she has had, but it suits her well.
The film deviated from the book’s original plot when it came to characters. For instance, Thorne’s character was written into the script, and she’s kind of an unfortunate addition. Every movie needs a villain, but it was annoying every time the shallow Madison appeared on the screen. Perhaps that was the point, but her character seemed a little too far-fetched.
The plotline is a relatively basic one clearly used before, but it’s a decent and entertaining way to spend an afternoon.