Every once in a while a teen film comes along and cements itself as an essential coming-of-age film, joining the ranks of Clueless, Mean Girls, and basically every movie John Hughes wrote. Based on what I had seen in the trailer I thought that The DUFF had a chance of being one of those few films to gain cult status. Though The DUFF, based on the popular book of the same name, is not a bad film and even features some talented young actors, it lacked the independent spirit of other great teen films. It had a few laughs but no real relevance beyond its "We're all insecure but have something special to offer" message.
Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a high school senior who happens to be best friends with two popular, beautiful girls. After talking with her childhood friend and neighbor Wes (Robbie Amell, who is the movie's standout actor), Bianca discovers that she is the DUFF, or Designated Ugly Fat Friend, to her friends. Confused and angry, Bianca cuts ties with her friends and in exchange for helping him with his grades, gets advice from Wes so she can attract her crush, guitar-strumming hunk Toby.
Also starring Disney darling Bella Thorne as queen bee mean girl Madison, The DUFF follows a fairly predictable story line. A few witty lines are scattered throughout, many of which will probably be relevant for only a few more years. It's hard to imagine by kids laughing at all of the movie's jokes in 2040.
I won't give away the ending, but you probably already know that it's happy. I give The DUFF a 6.5 out of 10. Though the story and direction lacked, its young performers saved it from being a complete miss.
Have you seen The DUFF? What did you think? What Redbox movie should I review next? Let me know in the comments section. :)
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