Ari Sandel’s The Duff is a standard-issue high-school film, but it has some funny material. Mae Whitman plays Bianca, a smart student who has some super-nice friends, and who is perfectly happy until someone explains to her that she is a “duff” – a designated ugly fat friend. The duff does not have to be ugly or fat, but in return for inclusion in the cool kids’ group, she must make them look good, reinforce their status and be ambassadorial on their behalf. The duff is the non-threatening friend who can negotiate casual approaches from boys wanting to inquire if the hotties are free for dates. Look around your own circle: if you can’t spot the duff, well … guess what? Bianca furiously confronts her friends about her humiliating duff status and realises she’s been patronised on social media all this time with “pity RTs”. Bianca badly needs advice on how to reverse-duff – to become genuinely attractive. Almost every twist is predictable, but it’s fun, with a nice supporting turn from Allison Janney as Bianca’s divorced mother.
