The Duff

***The Duff*** (stylized as ***THE DUFF***) is a 2015 American teen comedy film directed by Ari Sandel and written by Josh A. Cagan, based on the novel of the same name by Kody Keplinger with music by Dominic Lewis and produced by Susan Cartsonis, McG and Mary Viola. The film stars Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Nick Eversman, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos, Allison Janney, and Ken Jeong. The film was distributed by Lionsgate and CBS Films and co-produced by Vast Entertainment, CBS Films and Wonderland Sound and Vision. The film was released on February 20, 2015, by Lionsgate and CBS Films. It is the first film for which Lionsgate took over CBS Films' distribution functions.

## Plot

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is enjoying her senior year of high school with two close friends Jess (Skyler Samuels) and Casey (Bianca Santos) who are significantly more popular than she is. She is also the neighbor and former childhood friend of Wesley Rush (Robbie Amell), a star on the school's football team, with whom she had fallen out with during high school. She has a crush on guitar-playing Toby Tucker (Nick Eversman), and reluctantly attends a party hosted by mean-girl Madison Morgan (Bella Thorne), hoping to talk to him. The party turns out to be a disaster for her, as it's there that Wesley unthinkingly reveals to her that she is the DUFF of her friend group, the Designated Ugly Fat Friend. The DUFF does not actually have to be ugly or fat, he explains, it's just the person in a social group who is less popular and more accessible than the others in the group. People exploit The DUFF to get to the popular people.

Bianca is insulted and devastated, but she soon realizes that Wesley is right. The students in her high school are only interested in her as a way to get to Jess and Casey. She takes her anger out on Jess and Casey and 'unfriends' them on social media and in person.

Bianca later overhears Wesley and his science teacher (Chris Wylde) speaking, where his teacher tells Wesley that unless he passes the midterm, he's off the football team, which can cost him his football scholarship. Desperate to change her social standing, and go on a date with Toby, she strikes a deal with Wesley, where she will help him pass science if he'll advise her on how to stop being a DUFF. They have a fun time at a mall, and attempting a makeover by buying new clothes. This backfires when Madison's toady records Bianca playing around in her new clothes and pretending that a mannequin is Toby. They create a video ridiculing Bianca and post it online leading to the entire school mocking her. It also becomes clear that Madison a reality-TV wannabe feels possessive of Wesley, her on again off again boyfriend and is jealous of Bianca's relationship with him.

Wesley advises her not to let the video destroy her. Instead, he advises that she own it and just be upfront with Toby by talking directly to him and asking him out. When Bianca next sees Toby at school she does ask him and to her surprise he accepts. Bianca takes Wesley to her favorite spot in the forest, her "think rock", to plan a strategy for the date. They kiss, but joke about it and pretend it didn't mean anything. At Bianca and Toby's date at his house, she discovers that he is Duffing her spending time with her in order to connect with Jess and Casey. She confronts him about it finally seeing him for the shallow and superficial jerk he really is and leaves in tears. Seeking Wesley to talk with him about the date, she finds him at the thinking rock kissing Madison.

Angry with Toby and Wesley, she reunites with her friends Jess and Casey who all along were genuine friends with her and they along with her understanding mother (Allison Janney), convince her to go to the homecoming dance with them, in an outfit that they make together incorporating elements of her previous wardrobe such as her flannel shirts. At the dance, Bianca tells off Madison saying, essentially, that we are all DUFF's who should be true to our own identities. Madison is crowned homecoming queen and Wesley is crowned king but he rejects Madison and the title and kisses Bianca in front of the whole school. In the end, her article about homecoming is a hit with the students and Bianca is going to attend Northwestern University while Wesley goes to Ohio State. In the end Bianca and Wesley are still together.

## Cast

* Mae Whitman as Bianca Piper
* Robbie Amell as Wesley Rush
* Bella Thorne as Madison Morgan
* Nick Eversman as Toby Tucker
* Skyler Samuels as Jess Harris
* Bianca Santos as Casey Cordero
* Romany Malco as Principal Buchanan
* Ken Jeong as Mr. Arthur
* Allison Janney as Dottie Piper
* Chris Wylde as Mr. Fillmore
* Mahaley Manning as Kara
* J.J. Green as Trevor
* Danielle Lyn as Maya

## Production

In November 2011, CBS Films acquired the rights to the novel of the same name by Kody Keplinger. Josh A Cagan was enlisted to adapt the book into a script. He decided to use the Kübler-Ross model of five emotional stages to make a better transition of the narrative part. Ari Sandel became attached to the project in May 2013. On April 9, 2014, Mae Whitman was cast in the lead. Author Kody Keplinger had envisioned Whitman in the role even before the book's release, after watching her on *Parenthood*. On April 30, 2014, Bella Thorne joined the cast. On May 12, 2014, Ken Jeong joined the cast. On May 22, 2014, Skyler Samuels joined the cast. On May 27, 2014, Robbie Amell and Bianca Santos joined the cast. On June 10, 2014, Allison Janney joined the cast. Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia in June 2014 and ended on July 9, 2014. Shooting locations included Henry W. Grady High School, Marietta High School, Perimeter Mall, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Stone Mountain Park, and Dave and Buster's (a restaurant, bar and game venue in Atlanta).

## Soundtrack

The official motion picture soundtrack for *The Duff* was released digitally on February 17, 2015 by Island Records.

## Release

The film was released on February 20, 2015, by Lionsgate and CBS Films.

### Home media

The film was released on digital HD on May 26, 2015 before the film's DVD and Blu-ray release on June 9, 2015, by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

## Reception

### Box office

*The Duff* has grossed $32.5 million, against a budget of $8.5 million. In North America, the film opened to number five in its first weekend, with $10,809,149, behind *Fifty Shades of Grey*, *Kingsman: The Secret Service*, *The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water*, and *McFarland, USA*.

### Critical response

*The Duff* received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 71% approval rating, with a rating average of 6/10, based on 101 reviews. The site's consensus states: "*The DUFF* doesn't achieve teen-movie greatness, but offers enough of a postmodern twist on the genre to recommend — and boasts typically great work from star Mae Whitman." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 56 based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". According to CinemaScore, audiences gave the film a grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press gave the film a positive review, saying "While it's neither as biting as *Mean Girls* nor as sweetly referential as *Easy A*, the earnest and sometimes amusing *The DUFF* is a fine addition to the canon." Sheri Linden of *The Hollywood Reporter* gave the film a positive review, saying "Its central pair of unlikely allies will engage young audiences' sympathy. They're smartly played by Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell, whose warmth and comic chops keep the movie buoyant." Kyle Smith of the *New York Post* gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "This winsome comedy is a little low in the stakes department, not to mention predictable, but it gets an "A" for charm." Kevin P. Sullivan of *Entertainment Weekly* gave the film a B-, saying "*The DUFF* won't stay with you far past its runtime. But as a vehicle, it's ample proof that we should be seeing more of Mae Whitman." Amy Nicholson of *LA Weekly* gave the film a C, saying "*The DUFF* doesn't seem to know what its point actually is. It's pro-self-acceptance and also pro-makeover. It's about liking yourself, and how you'd like yourself better with a boyfriend." Inkoo Kang of *TheWrap* gave the film a positive review, saying "Mae Whitman reveals herself to be one of the funniest actresses of her generation in a spot-on and endlessly quotable take on teenage 'dramz' in 2015." Michael Phillips of the *Chicago Tribune* gave the film two out of four stars, saying "You know what would be revolutionary? Making a really good movie about a three-dimensional teenage female character that doesn't start and finish with both eyes on the same old punishing character types."

Ann Hornaday of *The Washington Post* gave the film zero stars out of four, saying "What might have been a frank portrayal of high school culture and challenges ends up veering between being either too cynically hyper-sexual or preachy." Rafer Guzman of *Newsday* gave the film three and a half out of four stars, saying "A smart, funny, straight-talking teen movie in the John Hughes tradition. Oodles of charm from the young cast." Claudia Puig of *USA Today* gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Mae Whitman is the best thing here, and the funny actress deserves better material than what's offered in this derivative and superficial ode to teen self-acceptance." Betsy Sharkey of the *Los Angeles Times* gave the film a negative review, saying "Romance, or the desire to find someone special, isn't a bad thing - if it's not the only thing. But as it stands in "DUFF," the denouement at prom has cliché written all over it." Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Whitman displays flawless comic timing and consistently makes inspiring choices in terms of delivery, reaction, even the slightest facial expression. She shines confidently in a self-deprecating role, and it's irresistible." Bilge Ebiri of *New York* magazine gave the film a positive review, saying "Why is it so wonderful? Because wit and charm matter, and *The DUFF* has a good deal of both. The cast will be stars, the gags will be immortal, and you'll still be watching this movie years from now." David Lewis of the *San Francisco Chronicle* gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Sandel's film has heart, some good laughs and a decent message. In this age of cyberbullying, that's nothing to scoff at."

## References

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13. ^"'Tomorrow People's' Robbie Amell Joins Bella Thorne, Mae Whitman in 'The DUFF' (Exclusive) - TheWrap". TheWrap. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
14. ^"Bianca Santos Joins Mae Whitman in ‘The DUFF’ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
15. ^"Allison Janney & Romany Malco Join CBS Films'’ 'The Duff'". Deadline.com. June 10, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
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24. ^"CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
25. ^"Film Review: Spirited teen comedy 'The DUFF' gives the genre an edgy social media spin". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minn. February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
26. ^"'The DUFF': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. February 17, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
27. ^Smith, Kyle (February 18, 2015). "‘The DUFF’ isn’t a ‘Mean Girls’ retread, but a sweet rom-com". New York Post. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
28. ^Sullivan, Kevin P. (February 18, 2015). "'The DUFF: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
29. ^Nicholson, Amy (February 18, 2015). "In The DUFF, High School Stereotyping Is So 1980s. It's Time for Pure Beauty Discrimination". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
30. ^Inkoo Kang (February 19, 2015). "‘The DUFF’ Review: Sweet, Hysterical Teen Comedy is This Decade’s ‘Mean Girls’". TheWrap. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
31. ^"The Duff review". Chicago Tribune. February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
32. ^Hornaday, Ann. "A rare zero stars for ‘The DUFF,’ thanks to grating heroine, draggy tone". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
33. ^Log in (February 19, 2015). "'The DUFF' review: Rare teen movie that's smart and funny". Newsday. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
34. ^"'The DUFF': Designated unfunny and formulaic". USA Today. February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
35. ^"Strong acting can't right topsy-turvy priorities in 'The DUFF'". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
36. ^Lemire, Christy (February 20, 2015). "The DUFF Movie Review & Film Summary (2015)". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
37. ^"Movie Review: The DUFF Is a New Classic". Vulture. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
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