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The DUFF: Book VS Film

Tags: film book duff
When I saw the cover of The Duff, by Kody Keplinger, I assumed that it would be just another teen comedy romance with a large helping of escapism, angst and sexual frustration through to it's core: to some extent I was right, however when I picked it up and started reading, it also revealed the lives of multi-dimensional characters and focused on issues that didn't just centre around boys and sex- which was an extremely refreshing surprise. The Duff held elements of typical teenage infatuation, which are fairly principal to a teen romance novel, however it also included some really engaging, accessible and relatable situations for female teens across the globe, whilst also including little moments of pure kick ass feminism.

I was extremely amazed/in awe of Keplinger, she was only seventeen years old when she wrote The Duff back in 2010, yet throughout the novel, she is refreshingly honest and candid. Simultaneously, the book is well written and complex, proving that she is wise beyond her years.

When I heard that The Duff was being adapted into a film, I was extremely excited. I love reading and I love it when things I love reading are transformed into fantastic visuals, which is why you found me down my local Cineworld when it was released today. I would have probably waited until it was released on DVD to view it, as despite my love for films, I normally hate the eerie feel of going to the cinema, however something about the trailer sparked my curiosity, it seemed almost parallel to the book that I remembered reading a couple of months ago, but in spite of that, it also managed to capture the entire essence of the book at the same time- curious I know.

I probably looked a little bit like a lunatic sat in the dark corner of the cinema scribbling away and I'm pretty sure I made a few enemies, as when I'm deep in thought I unintentionally click my pen, but hey, I enjoyed the film, so that is all that matters.

The first thing to strike me when watching the film, was the striking and clever use of every day modern technology- it captured the archetypal post modern teen and their overuse of social media perfectly, proving a fresh Gossip Girl-esque feel, managing to both impress and make me chuckle. I also would like to take my hat off to whoever was in charge of casting, the characters were exactly how I would have hoped they would have been and Mae Whitman played Bianca better than I ever could have imagined!




However, as I carried on watching it became clear the the strong bonds due to female friendship were omitted, which was really sad. In the book, Bianca may not always tell everything to her close gal-pal network, but they are always there for her- in the film adaptation this element was missing, which devastated my inner feminist diva a little.

Since hearing about the Bechdel test, I have tried to apply the theory to every piece of fiction that I read/see; the book managed to pass the test with flying colours, as complex home issues were discussed and the female friendships were amplified by issues other than boy troubles, however I'm wrecking my brain trying to remember if the film did this? Correct me if I am wrong, but all of the women (and especially Maddison) seem to dote over men for the best part of the film.

Toby's character (who in the book was both intelligent AND good looking), was the complete opposite to what I wanted him to be in the film. Sure, he managed to keep his hotness, but the movie made him out to be a right womanising brute, only paying any attention to 'the Duff' in order to get close to her pretty friends. In fact, the way the film portrayed men was a little unfair in comparison to the book. Not only was Toby made out to be malicious, but the film there is no mention of Bianca's father, apart from the fact he got custody of the family dog after his divorce. In the book Bianca's father is far from perfect, but he is Bianca's primary guardian and does a pretty good job of raising her whilst her mother is preoccupied by her career.

Overall, I did enjoy the film, it had a modern Mean Girls feel and managed to make me laugh. It also portrayed some prevalent girl power ideas, especially in the end where Bianca realised that regardless if labels, she loves who she is. However, despite the prevalence of fleeting moments of girl power, it was no match to the book and the oversight of strong female friendships and reliable, non-sexualised males seemed to be the only failures of the film.


This post first appeared on In Meg's Mind, please read the originial post: here

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The DUFF: Book VS Film

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