I saw The DUFF on February 24, 2015!! I really enjoyed this movie. It brought back great memories of movies like She's The Man, as well as incorporating elements from Mean Girls, while standing on its own with some good characters & performances. I think this movie also is a great breakout movie for several of the stars. There's an incredible positive message in this movie that I feel should resonate with young generations. I agree with the message & I think this movie positively helped show how individualism defines you, and not necessarily what you look like. Popularity can fade, but personality is forever.
I think as great as she has been in the past, The DUFF is Mae Whitman's breakthrough role. Where roles like Mary Elizabeth in Perks of Being A Wallflower, Roxie in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and her excellent role as Amber Holt in Parenthood, this movie definitely legitimizes her as a true star on the rise. Her role as Bianca Piper felt natural for her & it truly cements her as one of my favorite actresses. Through her comedic charm, natural beauty (always thought so), and the ability to have innate chemistry with each actor in the movie shows that she is an acting juggernaut ready to rise to the next level. She has so much natural acting ability. She had many memorable moments throughout the movie, and I automatically was a fan of the Bianca character from the outset with her love of classic horror & her fun personality.
Her interactions with Robbie Amell, who played the lead male character Wes resulted in some great moments. Bianca feels worthless at one point thanks to what Wes tells her that she is the DUFF in her group of friends. It initially tears her down, but she is able to stand on her feet to realize that she has lots to offer. Her friends Casey & Jess were great as well. Both Bianca Santos & Skyler Samuels really stressed the importance of their talents rather than catering to the external beauty, which I liked. There was never a point where they were unlikeable. They both were able to utilize their individual talents & ability at one point, which was great to see. It showed they had more to offer than their looks. As I said, it's the main message of the movie, and the best part was they showed how important Bianca was to them. They don't treat her like a third wheel. She is their friend. They are her friends.
I really liked watching Bianca & Wes's friendship grow throughout the movie. I love how they keep teasing each other. Initially, their friendship grows in order for Bianca to shed her DUFF status & talk to her crush Toby. I think it was important to have that foil in order to build up the main romantic angle with Bianca & Wes. You can tell how genuine they are with one another. It definitely looks like they both can open up to each other which is important in furthering the story. You may be able to tell where the story is going, but you want to see Bianca have a happy ending & you definitely find Wes to be likeable.
One part of the movie I'd also like to talk about was the chief antagonist Madison, played by the awesome Bella Thorne. I was impressed with Bella's ability to really create an unlikeable role. She's not used to being the bad girl/queen bee in her previous work, but I think she really ran with it. She represented the idea of popularity never waning & that high school is forever. She did so well with it. I really found her to be believable as the villain. That shows how talented she is. Where I found this to be Mae Whitman's breakthrough role, I also think this was Bella Thorne's breakthrough role. She has talent & I hope to see her in more roles. The interaction with her and Mae was very good. You get the two diverging viewpoints of popularity vs. personality & it just worked so well.
This movie demonstrated how important social media is in this age. It has such an impact on all of us, especially younger generations. It is important to understand that it can be used for positive & negative reasons. We need to find ways to wean out the negativity, as well as infuse more positive ways to use social media. The movie does a great job looking at both sides of the spectrum.
As I mentioned, I enjoyed many scenes throughout this movie. I thought the homecoming scene was especially excellent. I loved Bianca's dress-it really fit her individuality, and at the same time demonstrated her friend Jess's talents, which was important as well. Bianca's monologue about individualism & what being a DUFF is was excellent. It was one of the most inspirational monologues for all generations. It should resonate with everybody. The homecoming scene really brought everything together in a harmonious manner for Bianca, Casey, Jess, the relationship story with Wes, and the feud with Madison. I thought there were several great moments, but this was my favorite scene. I highly recommend seeing this movie for great characters, a phenomenal cast, and an amazing, powerful message that stresses how we our individualism makes us who we are. Accept it. Like who you are. Don't worry about what other people think. It may be difficult sometimes, but what matters is how you think about yourself. You are special in your own way. I give the movie a 4/5. It was definitely one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in a while and certainly one of the only movies I liked in 2015 thus far.
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