Controversial teen comedy The Duff is currently taking over Netflix.
According to FlixPatrol, the film is among the app’s top ten movies in America, coming in at number 8.
Based on the 2010 novel by Kody Keplinger, the comedy follows a high school senior named Bianca (Mae Whitman), who her classmates label as the Designated Ugly Fat Friend compared to her more attractive and popular peers. Following the humiliation, Bianca ultimately recruits Wesley, a jock played by Robbie Amell, to help reinvent herself. She does this in hopes of landing her crush and gaining confidence.
The film also stars Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Ken Jeong, Bianca A. Santos and Nick Eversman. The Duff was released in 2015 to box office success, generating about $43 million. The comedy received a Teen Choice Award, which was given to Thorne for Best Villain. Despite the acclaim, the film received criticism because of its bullying theme.
Amid the backlash, The Duff’s star Mae Whitman explained during an interview with NSHS Denebola the importance of how dumb it is to feed into labels. She said, “What we really wanted to convey with this movie is how silly it is to think that anyone deserves to be put in a box that some other person makes up for some weird reason. None of the mean, crazy labels exist, you’re the only one who can say who you are or be who you are.”
The Duff is now streaming on Netflix.
