Without the chemistry btw its two leads, this movie would not have worked. Plus, the supporting cast of adults helped. This movie was better than it had any right to be.

Whitman has always been a talented actress. I look forward to her eventually getting some truly meaty movie roles.

"The DUFF" is a mildly enjoyable film that doesn't quite hit the mark. I think it could have scored a bullseye but the movie had two big things working against it. First, while this is supposed to be high school, the actors are mostly adults--too old for high school. They also at times talk NOTHING like kids but like super-savvy adults. So, when the leading lady makes a marvelous speech near the end, when you think about it, NO teen is that smart, that self-aware and that intelligent!! Second, the film is definitely NOT something I'd encourage teens to see. Sure, teens think about sex and curse-- I am not naive. But seeing so much talk about sex acts and nasty language made me feel a bit squeamish when I thought about kids seeing the film. I am not a prude, mind you--just aware that the film's primary audience shouldn't be as sexually active as the film would seem to want them to be.

Overall, a decent film that is best appreciated by an older audience but a film that also COULD have been for all audiences without all the sexual references. Oh, and if you do watch, understand that the film is a lot like "Pygmalion" and the love story is amazingly easy to predict.

Belle Thorne fresh from the Disney teen comedy Shake It Up plays the bad girl in high school in The DUFF. As the prettiest most popular girl in the school she has been given the approval by the consensus of all to determine the roles and pecking order of her high school. Poor Mae Whitman is designated a DUFF which is Designated Ugly Fat Friend.

Whitman is sloppy but she is by no means ugly which is the main weakness of The DUFF. But naturally it isn't a role she relishes so being smart she gets jock Robbie Amell who is going out with Thorne to give her some pointers on popularity. The goal is to land sensitive musician Nick Eversman because she's crushing out on him big time.

This reworking of Pygmalion set in a contemporary American high school offers little in teen comedy we haven't seen before other than some fresh new faces. I guess all we really learn is if you're a designated DUFF make sure to change schools.