Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: 2015’s ‘The DUFF’: Comedy About a New High School Social Category

PG-13 | 1h 41m | Comedy | Feb. 20, 2015

High school movies are an American institution. No other country is as infatuated with high school as we are. Ever since 1973’s “American Graffiti,” there’s always been a gaggle of unknown actors in them who quickly segue to stardom: “Graffiti“ begat Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfus, ”Dazed and Confused“ begat Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Renee Zellweger, and Parker Posey, and Alicia Silverstone’s star came from ”Clueless.”

High school movies stick in our collective consciousness because we all have high school heavenly (or hellish) hangouts in our heads that haunt us for life, due to our pop music that endlessly glorifies teenage existence, and talks about how high school is supposed to contain the best years of our lives. Although many Americans would beg to differ.

The DUFF

“The DUFF” is not a brilliant movie rental choice for a grown man. It’s a makeover movie for tween girls. But first things first: What’s a DUFF? It’s a heretofore under-the-radar, American high school social category which, due to our ingenious social dynamics awareness, humor, and slang-appreciation, has now been isolated, diagnosed, labeled, and filed.

Anybody remember Brittany Murphy’s character, Tai, in “Clueless?” She was the DUFF for Alicia Silverstone’s Cher and Stacey Dash’s Dionne. Acronym: “Designated Ugly Fat Friend.” Well, Tai wasn’t overweight, but she was in need of a makeover, so, same deal.

The Functionality of the DUFF

The plump, plain DUFFs are the gatekeepers to their thin, attractive friends. We’re shown various kinds of DUFFs, most notably the “Political Duff”: overweight governor Chris Christie standing next to thin Barack Obama. It’s an excellent visual gag if not an actually valid “exhibit A.”

"Exhibit B": A group of high school goth kids with their DUFF indicated, in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

Of course Brittany Murphy was a camouflaged cutie in her own right, and Bianca Piper (Mae Whitman) in “The DUFF” isn’t exactly chopped liver herself, once she cleans up. Which is why this is a makeover movie.

So. In the land of populars, jocks, cheerleaders, stoners, mean girls, nerds, burnouts, druggies, emo/goths, Anime/manga fans, geeks, greasers, gamers, loners, losers, metal and shop class dudes, princesses, hackers, glee clubbers, thespians, and ethnic groups, Bianca’s got two extremely attractive friends: Jess (Skyler Samuels) and Casey (Bianca A. Santos). They’re your rare, pretty, high school nice girls.

(L–R) Jess (Skyler Samuels), Casey (Bianca A. Santos), and their DUFF Bianca (Mae Whitman) are besties, in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

Bianca’s their DUFF. She’s unaware of such a designation. She’s enlightened to the definition of this social category by her neighbor and childhood friend Wesley Rush (Robbie Amell). Wesley’s captain of the football team and boyfriend of the school’s reigning mean girl, Madison (Bella Thorne).

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is schooled about the state of DUFF-ness, and also how to go on a proper date, by her friend-since-childhood, high school football captain Wesley Rush (Robbie Amell), in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films).

But Bianca’s got her pride; she’s nobody’s DUFF, thank you very much and, in an amusing scene that sums up today’s high school (to the candy power-chords of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation”), she flies into a snit and unfriends her two beauteous besties from all social media sites. From, like, 15 of them.

(L–R) Casey (Bianca A. Santos), Bianca (Mae Whitman), and Jess (Skyler Samuels) hanging out, in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

She goes through a Kübler-Ross-like five stages of grief of being a DUFF: 1) denial, 2) anger, and so on. Flashes of insight! She realizes that, instead of a DUFF, she’d been more like the Bosely to Jess and Casey’s Charlie’s Angels! Parking among the gleaming beamers and mustangs, she realizes, however, that … even her car’s a DUFF. Sigh.

Bianca (Mae Whitman) coming to terms with her DUFF-ness, in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

High school’s always been hell for the uncool and clique-disenfranchised, but high school in 2015 was a nightmare. As the principal says, “Cyberbullying—it’s like a prison yard out there!” We all know by now (certain NFL quarterbacks, certain current defamation court cases) the nightmare of the viral selfie or video.

Principal Buchanan (Romany Malco) warns that high school is like a prison yard, in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

Any Good?

Much like “American Pie,” “The DUFF” is basically a decent teen comedy, but instead of an R, it’s rated PG-13, meaning it had to tone down the dirty stuff but not be so goody-goody as to alienate the brazen-beyond-their-years preteen youth of today.

(L–R) Bianca (Mae Whitman) and Madison (Bella Thorne), in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

Mae Whitman’s kind of a cross between Janeane Garofalo and Linda Cardellini of NBC’s “Freaks and Geeks,” (the now-classic high school series that gave us Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jason Segel).

Ken Jeong as a high school journalism teacher could have been otherwise cast. All his scenes are all about him, and ever so slightly and unintentionally creepy in annoying ways, and not because that’s what is in the script.

It’s always good to see how high school gets technologically updated. The 2015 phone-and-social-media insanity portrayed in “The DUFF” naturally makes the beepers of 1995’s “Clueless” look like trilobite fossils. Hashtags are everywhere.

“The DUFF” is cute fluff, but it does function as a cinematic guide to high school for the socially adrift. High school is very much like the prison yard; it pays to know the unwritten laws and find refuge in your peer group. The movie does a good job of portraying the pockets of severe isolation and depression that exist like landmines throughout high school, for DUFF, jock-concubine, mathlete, and band-camp/debate/chess-team nerds alike.

Classroom scene in "The DUFF." (Lionsgate/CBS Films)

It’s not a high school movie on par with “Clueless,” but the message is ultimately quite positive. Bianca is eventually able to own her outsider status and grasp that it’s because she’s intellectually far superior to her peers. Which then allows her to face down the mean-girl faction with understanding and, believe it or not, compassion. Maybe it should be a freshman prerequisite.

Movie poster for "The DUFF."

‘The DUFF’ Director: Ari Sandel Starring: Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Allison Janney, Robbie Amell, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos MPAA Rating: PG-13 Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Release date: Feb. 20, 2015 Rating: 3 stars out of 5