Review of The DUFF (2015) by Michael M — 02 Sep 2015

Similar to Easy A a few years back, The Duff is blatantly intended as an homage to the classic John Hughes teen movies of the 80's. Unlike Easy A, which I frankly hated, The Duff actually manages to pull this off. It borrows the themes and plot elements of those films (the whole thing is basically a modernized version of Pretty in Pink) but rather than relying on shout-outs and nostalgia it updates these elements and cleverly satirizes them.

The whole theme of the movie is labels, and it cleverly references how nowadays the Breakfast Club tropes don't really fit when jocks read comics and princesses are on anti-depresents, but that labels are inescapable. It's a good message of choose your own label, and it pulls it off in a genuine way.

Nothing about The Duff is particularly surprising. If you've seen any teen movie in your life (and probably even if you haven't) you can figure out how this thing will play out just from watching the trailer. Having said that, the journey watching it is still enjoyable. It's a shame that this genre hasn't really made any innovations in the last couple decades, but there are enough unique nuances to this story that I didn't really mind.

Ultimately The Duff isn't a movie you really need to rush out to see, but if you do see it you'll probably find at least some enjoyment in it. If you like teen movies and don't mind the redundant tropes, it's fun.