While not as edgy as Mean Girls, The DUFF may have one of the
more memorable headlining performances from Whitman, who many may recall as the
forgettable Ann Veal on Arrested Development. Her character in The
DUFF is a light-hearted twist on Veal, actually, as Whitman plays Bianca
Piper, a quirky and witty Honor Roll student whose stylistic tastes veer
towards overall and flannels. That makes her the least sought-after member of
her little clique, with her two best friends Jess (Skyler Samuels) and Casey
(Bianca A. Santos) a pair of hotties all the guys drool over. That makes Bianca
the unofficial "gatekeeper" when guys want to mack on her friends,
but sadly nobody ever wants to talk to her. The reason, she learns by way of
childhood friend-turned-jock dufus Wesley (Amell), is that she is the
"DUFF", or the "Designated Ugly Fat Friend". While he tries
to make it sound less harsh than it is, Bianca focuses on the "ugly"
and "fat" part of the equation, and understandably causes her to lash
out against everyone around her, including her BFFs who seem actually kind of
sweet.
It should come as no surprise that things take a turn towards She's
All That or Some Kind of Wonderful by having Wesley teach Bianca how
not to be perceived as the DUFF, and hopefully win the heart of soulful
guitarist Taylor (Nick Eversman). In exchange, she'll help the slow-witted
college hopeful pass his exams and get back on the football field. But to the
film's credit, the goal for Bianca isn't to become "hot" in the
traditional sense, or even popular enough to compete with the other girls, like
the cruel Madison (Bella Thorne). Her goal, and Wesley's hope for her, is that
she gains the self-confidence to be herself, whatever that may be. As such, he
encourages Bianca to let her freak flag fly, which leads to an uncomfortable YouTube
video spread around the school of her making out with a store mannequin. While
the embarrassment drives Bianca to hit rock bottom, she never succumbs to the
desire to be the school's queen bee.
Based on the book by Kody Keplinger, the film keeps the author's
strong message about body image and self-esteem, but struggles to deliver it
and maintain a humorous touch. The best scenes are those between the
comedically-gifted and adventurous Whitman and the likable, good-looking Amell
who has become a fixture on CW's The Flash. But Whitman is the breakout
here, and she's so much fun to watch that it's hard to imagine anybody ever
overlooking her. She and Amell have a great spark, especially when jokingly
tearing down the high school social structure. Unfortunately there's also a
great deal of talent that doesn't get much to do, namely Allison Janney as
Bianca's mom, a self-help guru who speaks in sound bites; and Thorne who is
capable of much more than playing the standard school witch. Somehow, Ken Jeong
manages to not be irritating in an underplayed role as a helpful teacher, while
Romany Malco might as well not even be there as the worrisome school
principal.The DUFF doesn't rank up there with the classics by John Hughes, although few movies do, but it's an enjoyable update on the universal themes that keep these stories popular.
Rating: 3 out of 5
