Mae Whitman has now been playing a high schooler for over a decade. For the love of God people, will you let this poor not-so-young woman graduate already?
The DUFF has been made twice before in this Century, going previously by the titles Mean Girls and Easy A. It’s not nearly as good as either film, but that’s much better company to keep than, say, Twilight or High School Musical. It does have a big plus in lead Mae Whitman specifically because she’s neither Lindsay Lohan nor Emma Stone. I think her looks and personality are a great deal more accessible. Teenage Lindsay and Emma represent, to me, the girl you want to be while Mae is the girl you are. You want to connect with a teen coed audience? The girls have to see themselves within you.
That being said, the writing in The DUFF isn’t as sharp and at the end of the day, you probably will still wish you were teenage Lindsay or teenage Emma.
Like most teen populations, Malloy High School is 85% totally hot. Bianca (Whitman) is not. She probably knows she’s not, but hasn’t explored the question much. Unfortunately, at a rival’s party, the teen idol next door Wesley (Robbie Amell) accuses Bianca of being The DUFF. That’s Designated Ugly Fat Friend. The movie is quick to point out that DUFFs are neither necessarily ugly nor fat, just the member of the group you’re least likely to see on a swimsuit calendar. The movie then asserts that DUFFs are approachable, accessible, gateway friends – the firewalls, if you will – between interested parties and the hot members of the group.
There are a fair number of bad assumptions here. Just roll with it; while this isn’t truth, it likely is how certain teens feel about their personal milieu. This movie is for them.
Bianca doesn’t take this news well. And after hurricane Bianca goes to town, little is left in her wake in terms of friends or even people who will speak to her. Strangely, the one who remains on fair terms is Wesley; when he gets into Academic Probationland, the two make a deal – his Chemistry grade for her popularity. If you can’t see where this is going, odds are you’ve never seen a teen film before.
And, of course, it has to get worse before it gets better, which it does when Bianca’s new look montage is taped by a rival. Did Bianca really have to make out with the mannequin in the middle of the store? That has “can’t return 
to high school … ever” written all over it. And in case you didn’t quite catch the parallels – the aftermath is extremely similar to that in Mean Girls when the Burn Book goes viral, or the part in Easy A where Olive’s lost-virginity rumor spreads like the zombie apocalypse. (In fact Malloy High’s nickname is the Blue Devils. Tell me this film isn’t derivative. I dare you. I freaking double dog dare you. Wait. That’s a different film.)
For The DUFF to be successful, you really have to like Bianca. And I did. Mae Whitman makes a great “shit upon” girl – she’s scowly, intelligent and easily cowed, but mostly she’s awkward. That will resonate in any teen circle. She doesn’t need to be the girl you want to bed to generate sympathy. Being a teen bites. Being a teen bites worse when your peers see you as a DUFF. There’s a strong message here of owning these moments and not backing down from an issue or a bully. Also, you gotta love any film that makes a This Is Spinal Tap joke, even if it’s poorly told and nobody but you gets it.
♪Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
The right DUFF
Your first kiss on blu-ray
With a mannequin
Can’t believe you even
Returned to class again
But you got Wesley’s ear
Insta-cred, I fear
Nothin’ alleviates
Stigma like this peer
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
The right DUFF♫
Rated PG-13, 101 Minutes
D: Ari Sandel
W: Josh A. Cagan
Genre: Easy B-
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: DUFFs
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Mean Girls
♪ Parody inspired by “The Right Stuff”
