La Duff

In this tale which seems to take elements from Easy A and A Walk to Remember, Bianca (Mae Whitman) is told by her long-time neighbor and classmate, Wesley (Robbie Arnell) that she is the Designated Ugly Fat Friend (or DUFF for short).

All Bianca wants is Toby, and will even help out Wesley to get that. In A Walk to Remember kind of format the unlikely friends become close and Toby is revealed to also believe in 'the duff' as he yearns for Jess and Casey, Bianca's friends, in the hopes that Bianca will hook him up.

It all comes to a head with a She's All That-esque moment close to the end of the film. It's a low budget film, and there's not an all-star cast. I really only recognize Mae Whitman from Scott Pilgrim, Ken Jeong, and Allison Janney. Everyone else here feels forgettable.

Although everyone fills out their roles and no one sticks out like a sore thumb, the acting is what sells the film. Mae has perfect timing for her on-the-button lines to finish off scenes. Mae is approachable, which makes Bianca approachable.

I did find some things in the film out of touch, however. In the early stages of the blossoming friendship, Bianca dances and makes a fool of herself with a mannequin at the store while Wesley does his best to be Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth. It's revealed that Wesley's ex is filming the whole situation and then later, Bianca accuses Wesley. It pains me how cringeworthy it is. Anyone with half a brain would realize he wouldn't do that and it was impossible to do it without Bianca noticing. The way that the recording is done is not subtle either.

Aside from that there are sprinkles of comedic moments and quotes throughout the film. It's light-hearted and not raunchy like American Pie can be. It's got some taste and some brilliant jokes. Overall, it's worth a view and anyone who enjoys teen comedies with a bit of romance won't regret it.

The comedic movie, The Duff, is hilarious, relatable and worth watching. The film is about high-school senior Bianca, played by Mae Whitman, who finds out that she is the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her attractive group of friends. Determined to change her DUFF image and impress her crush Toby, she turns to her popular neighbor Wesley Rush, played by Robbie Amell, to give her a complete makeover. Through her journey of transformation, she gains self confidence and shows the school that everybody is a DUFF.

Not only do I enjoy that the movie starts off fast, but I really like that it starts with a cool, graphic newspaper clip that explains high school and the different types of people in high school. Being a high school student myself, I was really surprised at how relatable the movie is, especially to today's generation of teenagers. It doesn't just portray the generic, stereotypical high school student that is so outdated. The movie has a lot of familiar celebrity stars that I enjoyed seeing. The performances by Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Allison Janney and Ken Jeong are especially hilarious and very entertaining.

The movie is hilarious, yet deep. Most comedy movies are really funny, yet pointless or lack an overall message. I laughed so often and even shed a tear in a heartfelt scene. The facial expressions are priceless and memorable. I respect this film for being extremely funny while also having a deep, motivational moral lesson and theme. I enjoyed the plot and moral of the story as much the comedy. The movie has a lot of references that are very comical. One example is an episode of the Simpsons that the movie shows. The movie also has really entertaining graphics that make the movie even more unique, some of this include labels and an interactive screen effect.

This film is one I will watch multiple times and tell my friends to watch, yet I do not recommend it as a family movie. The film may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13 due to inappropriate language and actions. I definitely recommend the movie for teenagers in high school, especially girls. I recommend the movie to ages between 13 and 18. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Tbh when I saw the name of the film I presumed it was about a pregnant girl. Never the less it's a good enough high school comedy coming of age film. Nothing new or special but there's enough laughs to get by and it's a heartwarming enough story. Fits the bill for a quiet night in not paying complete attention with a takeaway perfectly.

I enjoy watching teen movies to see what the young generation is up to. This movie gives the modern sensibility on final year high school students wading through the confusing labyrinth of romance and dating mingled with the vicissitudes of friendship. All with the absence of any help from adults, who generally are causing more stress than they are helping out. Feel good entertainment even if there is a little too much voice-over needed to explain what Bianca is going through.

The DUFF is quite entertaining and has a really nice poignant message. The film captures life, I mean the characters, and I'm mostly referring to Wesley (Robbie Amell) and Bianca (Mae Whitman), are realistic, humanized. I got a weird sense that I was watching people I knew and not a stereotypical film version of them. The movie has that documentary feel to it and it's due to how the leads portrayed their characters and how easy it is to relate to them.

The only real disappointment I have with the movie is that I thought it would be funnier. It's still a comedy but it's a little more serious than I expected. Watching the trailer I thought that I would laugh a hell of a lot more, specially when you look at the established comedic cast in it. Whitman and Amell do have good comedic timing and The DUFF is fairly funny but the quality of the jokes are not as high as I hopped they would be.

The story is intelligent, insightful, and kind of funny but it's still very predictable. The DUFF is on the edge of being great but it's not.

@wornoutspines