I’m at a demographic disadvantage regarding THE DUFF, being neither an adolescent girl nor someone who enjoys comedies that aren’t funny. Based on the ads, you might expect this new teen clique comedy to have some bite – a MEAN GIRLS for a new generation. DUFF is an acronym for ‘Designated Ugly Fat Friend’, someone that more attractive girls let hang around with them for contrast – a “gatekeeper to better-looking friends” – which gives it about the most mean-spirited movie title of late. The title role is played by Mae Whitman, who is short, has distracting eyebrows, and is too old for the role, but she’s neither fat nor ugly, not anymore so than Audrey Hepburn was street trash because her face was dirty in MY FAIR LADY or Rachel Leigh Cook couldn’t get noticed because she wore glasses in SHE’S ALL THAT. Just once I’d like to see the Pygmalion principle applied to a woman who was truly unattractive, but that’s unlikely since it’s a rigid rule of this formula that the ugly duckling turns out to be a swan in disguise.
In THE DUFF, Mae Whitman’s Bianca Piper is a cynical and snappy swan. One night while she’s at a party with her two gorgeous best friends Casey and Jess (Skyler Samuels & Bianca Santos), the school “man-whore” Wesley Rush (Robby Arnell ) informs Bianca that she’s a Duff and that every group has one to make themselves look better. Angry and hurt, Bianca reacts maturely by throwing her drink in his face, but the nickname haunts her and eats away at her self-esteem. Though Casey and Jess are actually far more genuine than the school’s queen bitch Madison (Bella Thorne), Bianca dumps them and turns to Wesley (they’re tight since he lives next door) to guide her through the physical and social makeover she thinks she needs to attract Toby (Nick Eversman), the sensitive long-hair guitar-boy she pines for. In return, Bianca will help Wesley pass science so he can play football, but complications ensue when both Madison and Toby play cruel tricks on her.
High school movies never seem that convincing to me, maybe because none of the students have zits, they speak too slick and knowing for teens, and they all seem to be in their 20s. THE DUFF is unexceptional. Star Mae Whitman is 26 (older than the author of the source novel – written six years ago!) and looks her age which is a big distraction. Were they really unable to find a teenage actress for this role? Speaking mostly in snark and sarcasm, Whitman has the right energy (and I liked that she name-checked cult horror movies to show how different she is) but she’s still miscast and the weak script doesn’t help. Opportunities to allow genuine growth are glossed over in favor of scenes like the ubiquitous mall dressing room montage, where our heroine tries on silly outfits for what seems like an eternity while bouncy pop songs blare on the soundtrack. That sequence leads to a cyberbullying subplot that’s played (unsuccessfully) for laughs, then quickly abandoned. Robby Arnell (also 26) is likeable as a surprisingly shaded Wesley, and Allison Janney steals a couple of scenes as Bianca’s self-obsessed mom. But the shrill, television-trained cast of teen supporting actors and actresses eager to make a big impression can’t liven up the proceedings and the usually-reliable Ken Jeong is given little to do as a flaky journalism teacher. Aside from an absence of laughs, THE DUFF is poorly shot, flatly lit, and the music is mixed too loudly over some of the dialog. The filmmakers get cutesy by literally labeling the characters with animated hashtags and providing nonstop references to social media, but that’s a poor substitute for insight and good writing. Director Ari Sandell, making his feature debut after some TV credits, fails to provide life to the proceedings, merely serving up the catty behavior in TV style. The younger end of the target audience may eat this crap up but this cranky old geek found THE DUFF lame and predictable and doesn’t recommend it.
1 1/2 of 5 Stars
