CinemaNerdz

Movie Review: The DUFF

Seth Paul

It behooves me to say, before we begin, that I am nowhere near the target audience for The DUFF. There is very little to make one feel old like watching high school students’ lives in upheaval when forced to give up their smartphones, when cell phones without all the bells and whistles were the big thing when I was at that age. And yet, despite this glimpse into the grim passage of time and culture, I guess there is irony in that almost everything in The DUFF is familiar. Between dorky kids making good and the villainess whose job it is to make sure everyone stays in their place or the Mom who tries too hard to be hip and with it, crass humor, and a bevy of teenage misunderstandings, almost every teen cliché gets wrapped up in a neat little package. And yet, despite its familiarity, The DUFF coasts by on a genuine charm, snappy dialogue, and some nice bits of humor.

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is living a mostly happy, carefree existence, although she finds she has trouble trying to ask out her crush Toby (Nick Eversman). Thinking she might have a chance at a party, she is instead informed by her jock neighbor Wes (Robbie Amell) that she has no chance, being the DUFF of her friends (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), who is there to make her friends look better by comparison. Offended and betrayed, she ditches her friends and tries to make a name for herself. Realizing that this is harder than it sounds, she enlists Wes for aid, in exchange for helping him pass Chemistry and keep his athletic scholarship. Unfortunately, in her quest to win over Toby, things get more and more friendly between her and Wes, which does not sit well with Wes’ ex-girlfriend, the “Queen of High School, aka Evil Teen Princess #8,147” Madison (Bella Thorne).

Those looking for surprise twists and an absolutely unique storyline will not find it here. Everything since the dawn of the John Cusack teen romps is here (including the fact that half the cast is well into their late twenties, which actually makes me less old than I originally thought), just updated for the next generation of filmgoers. But even at that, it certainly could be a lot worse. The movie rightfully dumps out its less interesting characters early on and focuses on Bianca and Wes for a majority of the film, and Whitman and Amell have good enough chemistry and banter to carry the film on that alone. The adults in the cast, on the other hand, feel a bit wasted. There is the school staff (represented by Romany Malco, Ken Jeong, and Chris Wylde), who are there to provide

Mae Whitman in “The DUFF.” © 2014 Granville Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

cynical comic relief when needed, but who have much bigger laughs during the end credit outtakes. Allison Janney is in there, too, as Bianca’s rich self-help guru (but still somehow out-of-touch) mother, whose best scene involves a riding mower and a glass of scotch, but unfortunately has little to do with the proceedings (things never look good when a cardboard stand-up of your “5 Stages of Divorce” has more bearing on the plot than you do). The writing also thankfully avoids throwing in buzzwords and annoying pop culture references unless necessary (“going viral” happens once or twice), but the prudish be warned: the PG-13 is surprisingly well-earned. Nothing ever gets truly gross or controversial, but between the swearing, a few entendres, and a dry-erase board moment, the younger kids might be better off at home.

So no, The DUFF breaks no new ground for the genre, but the proceedings are carried along nicely by the two leads, and to be perfectly honest, there is much worse fare any parent could let their teens go see (remember, this is coming from the guy who sat through both Beastly and Breaking Dawn Part 1 wishing I could sidle quietly out of the theater). This film will not make anyone rethink their views on high school with its biting satire, nor does it contain scenes that will be remembered for years to come, and it is somewhat more crass than might be expected, but The DUFF’s overall sweet nature, good-natured humor, and harmlessness go a long way. And hey, if you want something deeper, there is always The Breakfast Club.

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Seth Paul

When not failing to write novels and screenplays, box-office guru Seth writes humorous comedy tracks for films under the name "The One Man Band" that can be found at Rifftrax.com. Although, he has recently succeeded in writing the novella "Jack Alan and the Case of the Not-Exactly Rocket Scientists," available as an eBook on Amazon. He is also the English voice of Zak in "Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space."
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