As a former teenage outcast of the highest (lowest?) order, I'm particularly sensitive to the depiction of adolescent Ishmaels on film. And truth be told? A fair amount of Hollywood movies simply don't get it right.
It takes a lot of elements to render a convincing teen or pre-teen geek, goth, nerd and/or loner on film, from the acting to the writing to the directing to the wardrobe department — and a few select movies have nailed it. “Carrie”? “Welcome to the Dollhouse”? “Ghost World”? All have realistically rendered the pain of adolescent pariah-dom on film. The films listed below, on the other hand? Not so much.
As “The Duff” hits theaters, let's take a look back at nine terribly unconvincing teenage outcasts in the movies.
See also: 10 Great High School Mean Girls on Film