Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The DUFF Blu-ray Movie Review

The YSTAB (You’ve Seen This All Before).

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 15, 2015

It probably goes without saying that the culture of most high schools is fraught with a kind of class (no pun intended) consciousness which tends to play out by pigeonholing various individuals into various strata of appearance, intelligence and (most importantly of all, this being high school) popularity. Anyone who has managed to make it through the hallowed halls of secondary education can probably regale you with stories of their own misadventures in this somewhat precarious social enterprise, and in fact even the best looking, smartest and, yes, most popular kids may even have a tale of woe or two to impart about their pre-college school lives. Those at the lower end of this spectrum of course probably have more tales of woe to tell, and that sad reality forms the basis of the fitfully appealing if lightweight The Duff, a film whose most “profound” statement is the resolutely hoary “be yourself,” but which at least peeks, however routinely, into how kids use other kids as stepping stones to gain access to those at the top of this particular social construct. Those who were more on the nerd or geek end of the scale will probably find more to enjoy in The Duff than those who waltzed through high school as a prom queen or quarterback, but even the previously “downtrodden” souls may end up rolling their eyes a time or two at The Duff’s overly trite formulations about self actualization and acceptance.

Part of the problem with The Duff is that its heroine, Bianca Piper (Mae Whitman), is clearly smart, spunky and (in her own way) stylish, something that undercuts the film’s very premise of a “designated ugly fat friend” who serves as a more accessible “entrée” into the tonier social circles of the popular kids. Speaking of which, Bianca, while maybe not “popular” in a traditional sense, is part of the popular clique to begin with (albeit as “the duff”), another somewhat perplexing plot point that Josh A. Cagan’s screenplay (adapted from a novel by Kody Keplinger) struggles mightily to contextualize and make sense.

That contextualization includes the fact that two of Bianca’s BFFs are indeed very popular, and at times seemingly cut from the standard Mean Girls cloth. While her two girlfriends Casey (Bianca Santos) and Jess (Skyler Samuels) may not be as downright nasty as Madison (Bella Thorne), there’s little question that the differing social strata between them and Bianca is there, an immutable fact of high school existence. When Bianca’s male BFF Wes (Robbie Amell) spills the beans unwittingly as to the actual mechanics of Bianca’s “duff-ness,” Bianca suddenly sees things in a new light, and reacts rather decisively, deciding she’d rather go it alone than be the hanger on in a high falutin’ clique.

This part of The Duff, while overly contrived and on one level almost idiotically illogical, at least provides both poignancy and indeed a few laughs as Bianca comes to terms with her “role” in her social circle. But the film tries to weave too many strands into a supposedly coherent whole, including having Madison go on a revenge spree against Bianca with a secretly recorded video that goes viral because Madison, Wes’ on again, off again girlfriend, doesn’t like Bianca’s friendship with the boy. That cliché ridden subplot dovetails into Bianca’s attempt to forge her own brand of popularity by dating a dreamboat named Toby (Nick Eversman). Building up a dose of self esteem with the help of Wes, Bianca actually ends up asking Toby out and—succeeds.

That in turn only sets Bianca up for more disappointment, leading to an inevitable reconciliation with everyone she kind of foolishly discarded at the beginning of the film (or, in Wes’ case, a bit later). The convoluted nature of this already somewhat unbelievable plot arc tends to suck some of the comedic energy out of The Duff, but Whitman, coming off as a somewhat nerdier Ellen Page type, creates a charming if occasionally prickly character in Bianca. The supporting cast is hampered by writing that tends to pigeonhole various characters into well formed stereotypical ruts, with (speaking of Ellen Page) Allison Janney once again on hand as an impossibly understanding mother.

The Duff has some baseline inconsistencies that it’s never quite able to overcome. If Bianca’s mantra is “accept yourself,” why then does she go to such lengths to make herself over, with a little help from Wes, in order to “land” Toby? And if this is supposed to be a film about female empowerment (albeit high school aged empowerment), why does The Duff make Bianca a miserable wreck when she has to exist without the male blandishments of either Toby or Wes? Had the film had the courage of its convictions, Bianca should have gone all Carrie on the mean kids’ posteriors (especially given the prom locale of the film's climax) and taught them what being rude to an outcast can really incite.

The DUFF Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Duff is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot digitally with the Arri Alexa XT, The Duff is often a very bright and colorful affair which neatly exploits both incredibly well saturated primaries as well as subtler pastel hues. A refreshing lack of aggressive color grading preserves a natural looking palette, and everything from flesh tones to apparel offers accurate looking color. The image is very sharp and precise looking virtually all of the time, with excellent fine detail in close-ups. Director Ari Sandel plays with various bells and whistles at times, adding superimposed "descriptors" (see screenshots 8 and 15), with some elements, like recreations of computer monitor information, having some minor and transitory resolution issues.

The DUFF Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

What would a teen comedy be without a glut of source cues? Not much, at least as evidenced by the frequent use of tunes on The Duff's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, elements which provide good to outstanding immersion. Even non musical moments, like scenes taking place in the crowded halls of Malloy High School, offer good placement of sound effects. Dialogue is presented very cleanly and clearly. Fidelity is excellent on this problem free track.

The DUFF Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Duff Hits the Red Carpet (1080p; 3:30) offers footage of the premiere with some very brief interview snippets.


• Extended Gag Reel (1080p; 3:15)


• Bringing the Book to Life (1080p; 2:15) includes interviews with original novel author Kody Keplinger.


• Teen Comedies and The Duff (1080p; 2:04) offers various cast and crew listing off antecedents to The Duff, an ironic exercise in realizing how many of those films are better than this one.


• I Am the Duff (1080p; 2:42) looks at the various ways high schoolers are categorized.


• The Duff Files (1080p; 7:21) is a collection of profiles of various characters in the film.

The DUFF Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mae Whitman is an incredibly charming presence, even when stuck in an Ellen Page wannabe role like the one in The Duff, and her presence helps this middling film overcome some of its lamer and more predictable elements. A game supporting cast raises the comedic bar in fits and starts, but The Duff is simply too contrived to ever attain any real emotional heft. Still, the film is perky enough to deliver a few scattered laughs, and its technical presentation on Blu-ray is first rate. Recommended.