THE DUFF
US, 2015, 100 minutes, Colour.
Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Bianca A. Santos, Skyler Samuels, Romany Malco, Nick Eversman, Chris Wylde, Ken Jeong, Alison Janney.
Directed by Ari Sandel.
Would anybody be drawn in to see a film which was called The DUFF? Seems rather unlikely! And even when it is explained that DUFF stands for “Designated Ugly Fat Friend”? Possibly not. But, the producers did make the film and here it is.
Mae Whitman is very good as Bianca, the DUFF. She doesn’t realise it at first but as she explains to the audience when we initially see her first with her friends, the attractive Jess and Casey, she points out that everybody greets them and seems to miss out on her, or not notice her, or notice her and ignore her. This is especially the case with Madison (Bella Thorne) who fancies herself as the most attractive girl in the school, claims, when it suits her, Wes (Robbie Amell), the football captain and school jock, as her on-again, off-again boyfriend. Madison informs everybody that life, even at school, is a preparation for her life as a celebrity on Reality Television.
Despite the looks, she is pretty clueless about life and relationships. Which may remind us that this was the 90s equivalent of The DUFF, Clueless, Alicia Silverstone and friends at high school, making a mess of life at times but trying to put it in order. And then, almost a decade later, came Mean Girls, with Rachel Mc Adams as one of the meanest persecuting poor Lindsay Lohan until she joined them. Perhaps every decade has to have its high school mean girls movie.
Bianca is shorter than her friends, with the touch of the tubby which makes her self-conscious about the Fat in DUFF. But Wes assures her as he drops the title on her that it actually means the character in any situation who is overlooked but is approached to get access to the high-flying characters. Bianca has her own life to live, is very good at school work, has to cope with her mother (Alison Janney in yet another cleverly humorous role) who, after being left by her husband, has discovered the five stages (without open acknowledgement of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross) of grieving and incorporates them into seven’s seminars dealing with stress, satirised a little, but having their place.
She also works on the school magazine, edited by Ken Jeong, an amusing performance, much, much lower key than how we found him in such films as The Hangover series. He commissions Bianca to write an article on her personal, deeply felt responses to the Homecoming Dance.
Surprisingly influenced by peer pressure, Bianca alienates her two close friends, who really are friends. She also tangles with Wes who, in fact from the childhood, has been the boy next door. While he is a jock, he is a sympathetic character, finds Madison particularly waring, is much more content chatting with Bianca.
Bianca has a crush on musician, Toby, but is awkward in talking with him. She and Wes make a deal, she helping with his studies so that he can resume his football captaincy and get sufficient grades for graduation. He offers to help her to be more sociable, with a long sequence where they go to a store and she tries on numerous dresses – only to find much later that Madison’s toadying friend is taking video of Bianca, the clothes and talking about the boyfriend. The girl does the same when Bianca takes Wes to her favourite place, and more video. As might be expected, the video makes its blatant appearance during the Homecoming Dance. Which leads into the later development of principles against cyberbullying.
In case anyone is upset because our heroine, Bianca, alienates herself from her two good friends, she does come to her senses, thank goodness. She doesn’t want to get to the dance, but her mother urges her, and there is the almost-but-not-quite ending that we expected!
Older reviewers and older audiences will find that this period of their lives is long, long gone!
1. The popularity of high school films? Of Mean Girls movies? Mean Girls of 2015?
2. Audience expectations, the popular students and school, the ordinary students, clashes, girls and boys? The prom queens and the jocks?
3. The town, homes and families, next door, school, classes, classrooms, the corridors, the Principal and the teachers? The Homecoming Dance? Students and parties? The musical score?
4. The title, Designated Ugly Fat Friend, as explained by Wes? The broader application, the variety of DUFFs and their function? Comparisons? The means of access to popular students? As illustrated throughout the film?
5. The introduction, Bianca and her friends, the closeness, the touches of glamour, people’s reaction, ignoring Bianca? In class, science experiments? The relationship with Wes, the jock, football and being banned unless grades improve, the boy next door? The contrast with her crush on Toby?
6. Madison, the Prom Queen, glamour, vacuous, the preparing for life on Reality Television, the relationship with Wes and using him?
7. Toby, his playing, Bianca’s crush, the awkward meeting?
8. Bianca, the reaction to her two friends, breaking off with them, cancelling all the social media? The puzzle about her behaviour?
9. Wes, football, awkward, imposed on by Madison, preferring to talk with Bianca, memories of their growing up, living next door?
10. The deal between Bianca and Wes, help, giving him the maths book, the lessons? His transforming her, going to the shop, trying on all the clothes, the collage of the clothes? Their meeting, talk, the preparation for the date with Toby, the black dress gift, imagining the situation, the nature talk, leaning in…? The actual date, his claims of making the sushi, discovering the truth, feeling used, anger, and at Wes?
11. Bianca and her relationship with her mother, her mother being abandoned, her grief, discovering the Five Steps, using this as a basis for seminars, her clients? Supporting Bianca, criticising? The online dating, the reactions? Supporting Bianca with Wes and going to the dance?
12. The magazine, the editor and his humour, the gay teacher and his help, attracted to Wes? The style of the magazine? Bianca commissioned to write the article, the editor urging her on?
13. Bianca not wanting to write the article, going to the party, the friend of Madison doing the videos in the shop, and at Bianca’s special place, the rock, with Wes?
14. Anger, the reconciliation with Wes? Going to the homecoming, friends again with the girls? The announcing of the Queen, Madison on stage? The announcing of Wes as King, his decision to stay with Bianca and their leaving the dance?
15. Theme of bullying, cyberbullying, the filming of Bianca and Wes, their immediately being sent out to all the students, people’s reaction? The reaction of the principal? The cyberbullying making the film more topical?
