The Duff (2015)

A high school senior instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - by her prettier, more popular counterparts.

Director:

Ari Sandel

Writers:

Josh A. Cagan (screenplay), Kody Keplinger (novel)

Stars:

Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mae Whitman	...	Bianca Piper
Robbie Amell	...	Wesley Rush
Bella Thorne	...	Madison Morgan
Bianca A. Santos	...	Casey (as Bianca Santos)
Skyler Samuels	...	Jess
Romany Malco	...	Principal Buchanan
Nick Eversman	...	Toby
Chris Wylde	...	Mr. Filmore
Ken Jeong	...	Mr. Arthur
Allison Janney	...	Dottie
Rebecca Weil	...	Caitlyn
Seth Meriwether	...	A.J.
Erick Chavarria	...	Señor Gomez
Brian Dewar McNamara	...	Matt
Benjamin Taylor Davis	...	Jeffrey (as Benjamin Davis)

Storyline

Bianca is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as 'The DUFF' (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends. Now, despite the words of caution from her favorite teacher, she puts aside the potential distraction of her crush, Toby, and enlists Wesley, a slick but charming jock, to help reinvent herself. To save her senior year from turning into a total disaster, Bianca must find the confidence to overthrow the school's ruthless label maker Madison and remind everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone's DUFF.

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | high school | teen movie | mother daughter relationship | high school student | 

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Taglines:

You either know one, you have one, or you are one

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bella Thorne auditioned for the role of Bianca which went to Mae Whitman. The producers liked her so much they wrote in the role of Madison for her.

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Goofs

During the 'thinking rock' scene when Bianca and Wesley are sitting and talking. The hair on Bianca's left side keeps changing in between shots, alternating between being behind her ear, and then covering it again.

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Quotes

Madison Morgan: What the shit?

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Crazy Credits

Closing credits are shown as computer dialog screens, login screens, and check boxes.

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Alternate Versions

The UK theatrical version cuts a "strong sexual reference" to achieve a lower age rating. BBFC says: "During post-production, the distributor sought and was given advice by the BBFC on how to secure the desired classification in the UK. It was likely to receive a 15 classification but their preferred 12A could be achieved by removing a scene involving strong sex references. When the film was submitted for formal classification, this sequence had been removed and the film was classified 12A."

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Connections

Referenced in Alex Meyers: The Kissing Booth is kinda dumb... (2018)

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Soundtracks

Do Ya
Performed by Peaches
Written by Peaches (as Merrill Nisker)
Licensed Courtesy of XL Recordings
By arrangement with Beggars Group Media Limited

User Reviews

Hilarious, yet deep. And, worthy of a second viewing

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

20 February 2015 (Canada)

Also Known As:

The Duff

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,809,149, 22 February 2015

Gross USA:

$34,030,343

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$43,709,744

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Films, Vast Entertainment, Wonderland Sound and Vision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1