Every once in a while a phrase or acronym surfaces which unjustly gives legs to a social stereotype. In The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Director Ari Sandel applies his tongue in cheek approach to some of the more serious social undercurrents that continue to plague ‘young people’ working out their place in the world, resulting in a film which is much of the same as predecessors of the ‘chick flick’ genre, but with a slight edge in its use of the latest cultural and tech references.
The Duff makes it’s opening point very clear, it’s the 21st century and we as a society should be past social labelling, we’ve put The Breakfast Club’s dated conventions of jocks, princesses, geeks and basket cases behind us. Geeks are now the capitalist rulers of the world, princesses are strong able tech heads, athletes and aspiring leaders and it’s not cool to be a dumb ass with bad grades just because you’re the star of the football team. You need to have it all and do it all. That’s Bianca Piper’s (Mae Whitman) take on how things should be in high school, until it’s revealed by a childhood friend, ‘jock’ and neighbour Wesley Rush (Robbie Amell) that she’s the unwitting DUFF to her two other childhood friends Jess Harris (Skyler Samuels) and Casey Cordero (Bianca Santos).
A Duff is meant to provide information and access to his/her hotter friends, a ‘gatekeeper’ if you will, you need to impress the Duff before you have any chance whatsoever with their friends. They’re around to make their attractive friends look more attractive in comparison and in some cases an admirer will leave a ‘wingman/woman’ to the mercy of a Duff to get to their prize. In this instance it’s of course neither Jess nor Casey’s intention for Bianca, but the sudden revelation leads into her analysis of the teen social order and the deterioration of their friendship. She asks for Wesley’s help to ‘unduff’ herself, promising to get his chemistry grades up so he can keep his sports scholarship.
The film is shot in mixed media format reminiscent of 90’s sitcoms such as Saved by the Bell and Lizzy Maguire, it utilises social media hashtags, symbols and postmodern slang that really narrows down the demographic it’s being sold to. Which is fine, because for those who get it, it’s damn hilarious and not just a scene here and there, whole sequences will leave audiences reeling and crying with laughter. In particular character introductions such as Bianca’s crush Tobey Tucker (Nick Eversman) or #myfuturebabydaddy if you will and popular ‘mean girl’ Madison Morgan (Bella Thorne) who’s ‘passive, aggressive’ and also ‘aggressive, aggressive’.
Casting is impeccable, Mae Whitman absolutely champions her role here getting into sassy, awkward character mode with just the right amount of ballsy attitude and complete self loathing. Her sense of timing and acting ability reap rewards in the longer sequences such as the ‘uniboobin’ shopping expedition and a heartfelt d’n’m moment between her and Amell on her favourite rock in the woods, that turns to face licking comedy gold. Her on screen chemistry with Robbie Amell is one of the film’s highlights, they’re just so comfortable, cute and are all about the snappy/witty dialogue. Saying that, their friendship is more convincing than whatever sexual tension is generated from their budding romance.
Skyler Samuels dubbed ‘the kind one’ is immediately likeable and easy to connect with, whilst the introduction of comedic personalities Ken Jeong as Mr.Arthur the girls’ media studies teacher, and Allison Janney as Bianca’s mother add another level of amusement. Whilst Mrs.Piper comes across as a cool selfmade woman the interaction between her and Bianca feels shallow. It would have been good to see a bit more development in their relationship, which would have made her inevitable step up in motherly duties seem a bit more progressive.
Once again The Duff doesn’t aim to be revolutionary on it’s teen romcom take, it does execute elements of the genre better than most, the ending is as predictable as they come with whiffs of Mean Girls and Pretty in Pink coming to the fore. There seems to be a little bit of Dawson’s Creek syndrome going on as well, who’s being fooled by a cast of twenty something year olds playing pimply emotionally wrought teens? But it is nice to see that Robbie Amell can adapt from a brooding role like Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm in The Flash to something that’s more upbeat.
On a serious note Ari Sandel touches on a couple of noteworthy social themes such as cyber bullying and hacking. There are quite a few references to current affairs show Dateline and documentary series Catfish that tie back into mankind’s need to operate under false pretences. A Duff doesn’t need to be ugly or fat in particular, they can be slightly less attractive than their friends (by social standards) to qualify, which is a saddening thought in itself. Sandel does a great job of tying concepts, plot execution and casting together to create a film that’s funny, entertaining and full of positive messages on defining one’s self worth, let’s hope it sinks in for this generation of kids.
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Running Time: 101 minutes
The Duff will premiere in cinemas nationwide on 2nd April 2015 through Roadshow Films
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