Review: The DUFF

Go in with low expectations on this one because then you might leave satisfied. The Duff attempts to shake the high-school stereotype foundations but only manages to fall into line like any other by-the-numbers teen movie.

Don't get me wrong, just because I'm a cis male doesn't mean I don't like teen comedies or rom-coms. Who didn't like Mean Girls, Can't Hardly Wait or Clueless? Who doesn't get sucked in by rom-com plots where the two leads are totally wrong for each other but they're just meant to be together damn it! Like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (Sleepless in Seattle), Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock (Speed) or Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone (Crazy, Stupid, Love). True, Speed is not a rom-com but their chemistry is undeniable.

The DUFF stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend and is the title given to Mae Whitman's character Bianca by the school jock and her neighbour Wesley. Bianca realises she is the DUFF to her two hot best friends Casey and Jess. Mortified, she asks Wesley to un-DUFF her and he agrees to re-style her and teach her how to act so she can finally ask out her long time crush.

I can forgive the film's premise because you have to take risks once in while. It begins promisingly enough with Bianca narrating that the days of school yard stereotypes are a thing of the past. Everyone is a blend of previous stereotypes that cannot be classified. I thought: 'fantastic, this may be another 21 Jump Street' but then the film descends into the same cliché groups and cliques that we all recognise. It irked me something awful.

Mae Whitman is delightful as Bianca who is smart, funny, a little weird and lacks self-confidence but even her performance cannot bring life to the dull-as-dishwater plot the film that pushes her through to the end. Her chemistry with Stephen Amell's (Arrow) brother is alright, the trajectory of their relationship is predictable as soon as they meet - THAT IS NOT A SPOILER. This would have to be your first teen film or rom-com to find it surprising.

The film revolves around their relationship, which does have some nice moments in the second and arguably better half of the film. It does little to save the first half though.

For the most part it is mostly Whitman on screen and her character is the most likeable, as you would hope so it's not all bad. That all comes to a screeching halt when she finally confronts the school bully and wannabe reality star Madison (Bella Thorne) with a long winded monologue that feels immensely out of character. It completely takes you out of the film and feels like a heavy-handed take away message. Granted it is a teen film but I think teenagers deserve some credit.

The adult supporting cast do the best they can with the material they've been given except Ken Jeong who just plays himself. Allison Janney is really good as Bianca's self-empowered mother and I wish she was in more scenes.

Look, it's not all bad, there are some laughs along the way and it's not the worst film I've ever seen. I am just disappointed that it promised something and didn't deliver. The out-takes at the end were probably the funniest part in the film. I found it a pretty hard slog to get through. You're free to disagree with all the above because, apparently, I am not the target audience. Then let me put this to you: why did I enjoy the magical experience that was Cinderella?

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