After Bianca discovers that she is the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) in her friend group, she sets out on a mission to find herself and and challenge the high school hierarchy. You can watch one of the many trailers above to get a taste of the vibe of the film for yourself. The film is rated PG-13, and if you’re not a fan of crass language, sexual innuendos, and partial nudity, then this movie may not be for you. If those three things I just described don’t bother you, then you are looking at a fun Friday night.
You can tell that the writers scooped all of the stereotypical characters from Mean Girls and Easy A, and gave the plot an online bullying twist. The story is about a girl in senior year of high school, Bianca, trying to find herself despite being “ugly” and “fat” in comparison to her super-hot best friends. The movie has received mixed reviews, and I must say that I am sitting on the fence about The DUFF as well.
First of all, I’d just like to say that the film ends exactly how you expect it to. (From the moment you see the girl-next-door living next to her super-hot childhood best friend, the end result is a no-brainer.) Now, I’m a sucker for cliches and cheesy endings, so I had no problem with this. Although, if you are somebody who hates predictability, then this movie may not be worth your time. There were some quotable lines and moments of unexpected humour, and despite the horrible things that happen to Bianca, the movie tries to remain optimistic and empowering. The entire point is to make everyone realize that it’s okay to be “the DUFF” and that not being pretty or thin doesn’t define who you are as a person. Speaking truthfully, I don’t think that this movie succeeded in getting that moral across.
The most controversy surrounding The DUFF comes from the fact that Mae Whitman, who plays Bianca (on the right in the picture), is neither ugly nor fat. The movie has tried to cover their tracks by stating that the DUFF doesn’t actually have to be ugly or fat, simply someone who is less attractive and more approachable than his/her friends. Alright movie, whatever you say to pacify the outraged crowds. Personally, the casting doesn’t bother me because I understand all the inner machinations of Hollywood. Also, since it’s rated PG-13 (as if people care about ratings anymore), I’m hoping that the people watching this movie will be mature enough to not be deeply psychologically troubled by the casting, either.
As well, The DUFF is based off of a novel by Kody Keplinger. According to fans of the novel, Madison (resident mean-girl) does not play as large of a part in the book as depicted in the movie. People are speculating that this was done simply to include Bella Thorne in a starring role, but I can’t really make any comment on this. I haven’t read the book, but the complaints people had about it seem to be reflected in the movie.
The entire plot is highly unrealistic and the characters are not very relatable at all. Yes, I understand that a movie doesn’t have to be realistic, but The DUFF has portrayed the stereotypical traits of each character to the extremes. It also plays up bullying and use of technology by teenagers to an extreme. Madison is mean and self-centred, but with the minimal character development you can’t even hate her. Wesley is a proclaimed jerk and airhead, but he’s only seen with one random girl in the entire film and actually consistently tries to be nice. Bianca’s two best friends, Jess and Casey, only have their “special” personality traits because those traits are essential to the end result of the plot.
At the end of the day, it’s just another love-cynical girl trying to change her image to fit in and conform to society’s beauty expectations. No matter how funny or quirky Bianca was, I just couldn’t see myself relating to her. I couldn’t even live her experience vicariously. The situation she was plunged into and the decisions she made before and after the incident were irrational and unjustified, despite the fact that she is painted as intelligent and responsible. Aside from Madison, every other character is also given a weak backstory. Where there is a backstory, it’s only to serve one or two punchlines and not to get you to connect to the characters. Despite not having fixed characters, there are times when out-of-character decisions are made. The verbal and physical humour seems to be the main focus of the movie. By doing this, any shred of learning or challenging of societal norms was thrown to the wind.
It seems to me that when The DUFF does eventually reach theatres, it’s going to be a hit-or-miss. There will definitely be articles upon articles written about setting back feminism a couple years, a sloppy portrayal of teenage girls, protest about body image in Hollywood, and complaints that it’s just another Mean Girls knockoff. On the other hand, there could be rejoice about a new-age entertaining chick-flick, thousands of people accepting their status as the DUFF in their own social circles, and girls/boys rising up to challenge the social hierarchy. Whatever happens, I will be sitting here with my popcorn in hand, waiting for the undoubtedly entertaining and controversial aftermath. Overall, I’d give the film 3.5 stars out of 5.
Those are just my two cents! In order to form your own opinions, catch The DUFF in theatres on February 20, 2015.
FTC: I was provided with passes to the advanced screening of this film, but all opinions remain completely genuine. ♥