Slang terms have been popular with teens for many generations, both positive and negative, to describe life, people, and emotions. And this generation is no different. Back in the 1920s the terms glad rags, heebie jeebies, and palooka were popular. The 1960s coined terms such as flower child, greaser, groady, and swampwater. Today slag like Bae, shade, basic, and slayed is used. Now a movie entitled with a slang word DUFF, meaning designated ugly fat friend, has hit theaters.
The DUFF revolves around high school senior Bianca an honor roll student whom has a style which could be classified as frumpy. Her whole perspective of herself and her life is changed when Wesley, a fellow classmate, tells her a shocking “truth”. She is the DUFF, designated ugly fat friend, of her two beautiful, talented friends. This bothers Bianca so much that she breaks her friendship with her two confused, unsuspecting friends. She then enlists the help of Wesley, in exchange for chemistry tutoring, in order to help her lose the title of DUFF and get the guy of her dreams. Bianca experiences many obstacles along the way; mean popular girls, clueless guys, and her own lack of self-confidence.
The cast contains many familiar faces and has drawn in many viewers. The two leading male actors have attracted many female fans with their acting and appearances. Robbie Amell (Life with Derek, True Jackson VP) plays the classic boy next door and Nick Eversman (Vampires Suck, Deep Dark Canyon) plays the seemingly perfect mysterious musician. Bella Thorne (Shake It Up) portrays the classic mean girl that is an integral part of every teen movie. And the main character is flawlessly and realistically portrayed by Mae Whitman (Johnny Bravo, Parenthood, The Perks of being a Wallflower) with the perfect amount of grace and edginess. The movie also features Bianca Santos (The Fosters) and Skyler Samuels (The Nine Lives of Chloe King).
The movie has faced a lot of controversy because many people think the title of the movie encourages body shaming, which is a huge issue in today’s society. The definition of body shaming is “Body shaming is defined as inappropriate negative statements and attitudes toward a person’s weight or size.” Others say it promotes labels that teens use to insult and bully each other. However, if one watches the film they will realize that the movie is about actually accepting yourself and dealing with self-confidence issues. This is not the typical plot in which the “ugly” girl gets a makeover and become instantly popular and unrealistically gorgeous.
The topic discussed and shown in the movie many be serious, but they are introduced in a lighthearted, comedic way. The film is absolutely hilarious in a way that is not overly vulgar, like some other comedic movies are. The main characters and situations will make even the most stoic person break out in chuckles.
The DUFF is truly an amazing movie. It breaks away from the typical teen movie stereotype and challenges serious issues, while being absolutely hilarious at the same time. It is the perfect blend of comedy, romance, and drama and it is definitely a must-watch.