The DUFF

Bianca Piper (Mae Whitman) is a happy honor-roll high school senior…until her neighbor, football-captain Wesley Rush (Robbie Amell), jokingly tells her that she's known as the DUFF—or Designated Ugly Fat Friend—to her popular, gorgeous peers (Skyler Samuels, Bianca Santos). Not surprisingly, this ridicule sends Bianca into a tailspin. Although her recently divorced mom (Allison Janney) tries to placate her, Bianca's self-confidence is shattered. Miserable, she spins into action: un-friending, un-following and disconnecting her BFFs' Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and other accounts. Defiant Bianca then decides to repair her dorky reputation by striking a deal with perceptive Wes, agreeing to help him pass chemistry to save his threatened athletic scholarship if he'll teach her how to attract the guitar-strumming guy (Nick Everman) whom she secretly adores. Based on Kody Keplinger's YA novel, director Ari Sandel's The DUFF slyly juggles comedy with romance and pathos, updating George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion with 21st-century technology. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include character bios (8 min.), a red carpet segment (4 min.), an extended gag reel (3 min.), the production featurettes “I Am the DUFF” (3 min.), “Bringing the Book to Life” (2 min.), and “Teen Comedies and The DUFF” (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a charming teen rom-com.] (S. Granger)