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Always fun to see how high school gets techno-updated. The phone-and-social-media insanity portrayed here makes the beepers of 1995's 'Clueless' look like trilobite fossils.

The DUFF brings something different to the genre.

An earnest high-school comedy that mostly feels like the dried-out, overheated leftovers of John Hughes.

As she proved in Arrested Development, Whitman is great -- although without her tremendous comic skill The DUFF would be, well, duff.

[Mae Whitman] helps elevate a predictable story into one many won't mind watching.

It occasionally plays like a mashup of Mean Girls and Easy A, but Whitman's performance gives The DUFF a spiky energy all its own.

There are times during The DUFF where you sense some potential. But by the time the third act delivers its predictable finale, seasoned audiences are left to reminisce about the movies that did it all better.

...it is, in the end, impossible to view The DUFF with anything less than almost total disdain (especially given the above-average nature of its source material).

"The DUFF" is what you might call a catch-all teen comedy.

Despite the very predictable way the movie moves along, the message here is simple, well-known and comfortingly reassuring -- that if someone loves you, they will do so because of who you really are on the inside.

As in any romantic comedy, star chemistry is essential, and this movie's got it: Whitman and Amell have an easy rapport that probably makes Cagan's dialogue sound snappier than it is.

Mainly just a film to showcase how utterly talented Mae Whitman is.

You don't need to be Einstein to see where this is going, but it's an enjoyable and occasionally very funny trip, with some smart observations about the yoof's addiction to technology.

The DUFF may have some snappy, modern dialogue that young people will get a kick out of, but it's the film's incredibly charming leads who make it entertaining.

Even if The DUFF doesn't raise the bar for recent teen romps, it allows Whitman and Amell to show off their considerable charms.

The teen-movie standard about the struggles of the high school outsider is given a good, surprisingly thoughtful going over in an above-average offering that challenges stereotypes and the alleged importance of fitting in.

Mildly amusing but always well acted.

Mae Whitman - please star in all movies.

Astute and genuinely funny teen comedies don't come along very often; this one starts with a smart script and lets the spirited cast run with it...

The smartest, sweetest, wittiest high-school movie in years.

Based on the 2010 YA novel by Kody Keplinger, The DUFF is a moderately astute, consistently entertaining teen comedy about the evils of social-media shaming and the healing power of just being yourself.

The DUFF is a heartfelt film that adheres somewhat to formula, but that's distinguished by its knowingness, Josh A Cagan's smart script and by a riotous central performance from Whitman.

This high-school comedy avoids the worst clichés of the genre and resists rather than indulges the worst tendencies of adolescence. Which is a rare thing.

The once-ubiquitous American high school comedy has been supplanted by dystopian Young Adult franchises in recent years, but it makes a minor and surprisingly welcome comeback with The Duff.

The DUFF is the first laugh-out-loud high school comedy since Easy A while also being genuinely the kind of story young girls need to be told more often.

I think the selfie generation has just got it's own The Breakfast Club.

Yes, it uses a well-worn textbook but thanks to some quality casting and a likeable screenplay from writer Josh Cagan, there are still plenty of laughs.

Mean Girls it ain't, but then again, what is?

A formulaic comedy where the actors appear to be a good 10 years older than the characters they are playing.

While this latest entry into the Pygmalion with Clearasil genre doesn't bring anything new to the table, it's still fun enough to hang out with for a while.

This is a likeable and smartly written teen movie that still seems very fresh in spite of rehashing characters and situations familiar from countless other high-school comedies.

The Duff is your typical high-school misfit comedy, elevated by a kooky, cranky and deeply sympathetic performance by Mae Whitman.

[The DUFF] looks at first as if it's set in a post-clique world, where it's ok to be niche. But no, the film tells us, for jock, goth and geek alike, there's another hurdle: you need to be hot.

The Duff is a standard-issue high-school film, but it has some funny material.

This tongue-in-cheek endeavour is playful in its approach, never earnest enough to a point where it's unbearable.

A predictable prom-com, but the journey is fun.

While definitely not a movie that everyone will enjoy, fans of the genre can be sure to leave more than satisfied after the credits roll.

Mae Whitman... [is] absolutely terrific, giving a wry, knowing attitude to her character and the film, and turning The DUFF from a modestly amusing comedy to a genuine success.

This is a well-intentioned and sometimes quite sharp high school movie that falls just short of the mark due to a few way-off-the-mark scenes and too much heavy-handed preaching.

Subversively snarky, yet sensitive, it updates George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" with 21st century technology.

distinguished by sprightly, intelligent writing, and outstanding performances that are not just funny, but also perceptive and nuanced.

Perhaps no one over age 16 should ever see this movie. That may not be the worst advice I could give you.

Although it has its John Hughes-esque moments, 'The DUFF' is derivative of lots of other, and more recent, teen angst movies.

The DUFF has a lot to say about beauty ideals and how we perceive our self-worth.

Will...[strike a chord] with teen girls, if they can get past the casting of the healthy, but hardly plus-sized Whitman, as well as the changes made to sanitize the book...

Even if it serves up the happy ending audiences apparently insist upon, the good in The DUFF mostly outweighs the stuff you've seen before.

Funny, heartfelt and inspirational. The best high school comedy since Easy A. Mae Whitman deserves to be a star.

It's hard not to see "The Duff" becoming an instant teen classic.

The half-hearted message about inner beauty and self-esteem becomes muddled in a film that winds up as shallow as many of its characters.

The Duff makes timely points about self-love, body image, and modern relationships but falls short of becoming a teen drama classic.

Anyone not currently in high school is bound to find it derivative, albeit not unpleasant.

The DUFF won me over, to the degree that I found it to be one of the more charming teen comedies of recent years.

As much as the film attempts to follow in the Easy A template, it lacks its satiric edge, and its willingness to confront high school hypocrisy head-on.

One of the few teen comedies that may remain relevant (and entertaining) for years to come.

Why is it so wonderful? Because wit and charm matter, and The DUFF has a good deal of both. The cast will be stars, the gags will be immortal, and you'll still be watching this movie years from now.

Fun high school comedy is unexpectedly insightful.

Yearning to be the new "Mean Girls," "The DUFF" is just another bad movie some premium cable channel is going to try to make you watch in the near future.

Teen angst flicks are always formula. The DUFF is no exception. Once in awhile one is done right. This is a pretty good -- but very predictable -- flick.

The fact that The DUFF ends on a such a sappy, uninspired note isn't surprising, but it is disappointing given all the little glimmers of promise peppered throughout the film's first half.

[T]oo eager to prove that it's hip to the ways of the youngsters these days ... pounding away at its one note of supposed insight until it just becomes condescending.

The chemistry between Whitman and Amell is decent enough to overcome some issues and rough spots. (Full Content Review -- Sex, Profanity, Violence, etc. -- for Parents also available)

Whitman displays flawless comic timing and consistently makes inspiring choices in terms of delivery, reaction, even the slightest facial expression. She shines confidently in a self-deprecating role, and it's irresistible.

More in line with cheesy nineties teen movies like SHE'S ALL THAT than John Hughes or more sensitive, recent fare.

It's not "Mean Girls." It's not even "Easy A." But it's definitely a solid B.

It's the first great teen comedy since Mean Girls.

Sandel's film has heart, some good laughs and a decent message. In this age of cyberbullying, that's nothing to scoff at.

It falls short of the mark, even as it hits every one of the genre's conventions.

Capable, spry, and mostly wise when it isn't spelling out its moralistic intent. The main attraction is Mae Whitman, acting her heart out while making her every last moment look as natural and vulnerable as that of a real life being lived.

Especially because the young co-stars Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell are so appealing, The DUFF is charming, cheeky and relevant.

Where Bianca and Wesley are going is obvious from the outset, but it builds naturally through a pal-ship with a genuine spark.

Even in this would-be subversive comedy, success means getting the guy.

Romance, or the desire to find someone special, isn't a bad thing - if it's not the only thing. But as it stands in "DUFF," the denouement at prom has clich written all over it.

The DUFF would make John Hughes smile.

The film deposits its heroine and everyone in the audience looking toward her for image-maintaining guidance back at square one.

A tepid, undernourished clone of the John Hughes high school template, with attractive leads stuck in a script that feels like a tattered hand-me-down.

Whitman makes Bianca so thoroughly herself throughout that anyone would be glad to have her for a BFF.

A Derivative Unimaginative Forgettable Film.

Mae Whitman is the best thing here, and the funny actress deserves better material than what's offered in this derivative and superficial ode to teen self-acceptance.

The earnest, yet consistently misfiring "The DUFF," makes all those other teen movies look even better.

A smart, funny, straight-talking teen movie in the John Hughes tradition. Oodles of charm from the young cast.

It works, but just barely.

With all of the clutter, The DUFF seems to forget, or even disregard, its own empowerment message

While ultimately serving up the expected, The DUFF is fresh and funny throughout, largely thanks to two vibrantly written lead characters.

The movie is glib and willfully superficial but also smart at times about teen social stratification.

For all its potential pitfalls, The DUFF manages to keep its head above water, thanks to Whitman, Amell, and a willingness to engage with teen-movie clichs in a relatively thoughtful way.

There are no surprises here, but the predictability doesn't mute the fun.

The ostensible message of accepting difference is overwhelmed by a spirit of blind conformism.

The DUFF is exponentially dumb. For starters, Mae Whitman isn't fat or ugly. Point of fact, she's wildly charismatic.

Whitman is fantastic, the movie is not- it goes back and forth between subverting genre cliches and wholeheartedly embracing them

You know what would be revolutionary? Making a really good movie about a three-dimensional teenage female character that doesn't start and finish with both eyes on the same old punishing character types.

What might have been a frank portrayal of high school culture and challenges ends up veering between being either too cynically hyper-sexual or preachy.

"Mae Whitman reveals herself to be one of the funniest actresses of her generation in a spot-on and endlessly quotable take on teenage 'dramz' in 2015."

This is [Whitman's] film, and she seems determined not to waste her chance at being a leading lady.

Whitman brings such kindness to Bianca that the movie almost sometimes sort of works as empowering evidence of many teens' flawed, self-esteem-driven perspectives.

A shallow, witless, and bizarrely cast endeavor, always eager to preach about the value of self-acceptance, but just as ready to indulge superficial behavior as a method of empowerment.

A clever comedy that isn't a chore to sit through if you're outside of the target demographic. Oh, and your kids are gonna love it.

It's a comedy with an easy message, and it's sort of sweet. Not too raunchy, not too challenging. A good date movie for sophomores.

The DUFF doesn't seem to know what its point actually is. It's pro-self-acceptance and also pro-makeover. It's about liking yourself, and how you'd like yourself better with a boyfriend.

Feels like grown-ups so desperate to appear hip to social media, they make sure to mention every app they've ever heard of, including We Heart It and Whatsapp.

The DUFF doesn't deviate much from the pattern, in fact it doesn't stray from it all, but a pair of playful lead performances by Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell makes it a worthy entry in the genre.