Writer and director Emma Seligman’s new film, Bottoms, is something special. Fans of movies high school sex comedies like American Pie, She’s All That, Sixteen Candles, and Superbad – plus the many others that exist – will recognize those elements in this film. However, it takes things to absurdist levels and creates its own world that slightly resembles ours and those depicted in the aforementioned films. This satire works in so many ways, but its brilliant writing by Seligman and co-writer Rachel Sennott is elevated by the lead performances of Sennott as PJ and Ayo Edebiri as Jesse.
The premise starts out familiar enough as PJ and Jesse, two unpopular queer high school students, are desperate to impress – and hook up with – their cheerleader crushes before high school ends. After a series of innocuous and sarcastic stories get taken literally, the girls offer to start a “fight club” to empower their female peers to defend themselves from the rival football team threatening them all.
The setup should feel familiar. It’s a story that’s been done expertly in some instances, and quite exploitatively in others. It’s a genre that every generation seems to have their film (or films) to attach to that are both relatable and formative, and often live on longer than they probably should. Here, it achieves levels of comedy and gives the audience several characters to cheer for while mocking the tropes of the genre. It also offers one of the weirdest solutions to the problem by having the girls start a fight club. This alone offers some great moments of comedy, especially with the teacher sponsor being played by Marshawn Lynch.
This film enters into the absurdity category mostly through the football team. While there are plenty of other elements of the film that seem to push past reality, it is the football team that looms over seemingly everything. From the moment we meet Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine) and Jesse slightly brushes his leg with the bumper of her car, it’s clear that there is something off with the football team. They are always fully geared up, minus the helmets. The rivalry with the other team that seems to have a ridiculously dangerous past becomes the spark the girls need to start their self-defense club. It all is so over-the-top, and yet it works so well because of the performances.
Every actor performs quite well in this film, but there are three that really made me love this film. Sennott was my favorite part of Bodies Bodies Bodies, and she continues to impress in this film. There is a natural chemistry between her and Edebiri that lends to both the comedy and the character development in the film. Edebiri is proving to be one of the biggest winners in 2023 with her success on the Bear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Theater Camp, and Bottoms. The third is Ruby Cruz, who plays Hazel Callahan – and is ultimately the girl who believes PJ and Jesse’s lies that help fuel the founding of the fight club. Her character has a real pathos to it, and her performance carries many of the scenes.
To be honest, there is just a lot to love about Bottoms. Considering the nature of the premise, it’s also quite tame in terms of sexuality – especially when compared to many of the other films in the genre. If you’re a fan of the genre and filmmakers pushing up against those conventions, then you owe it to yourself to see this film.
Bottoms is in select theaters now, so check and see if it’s playing near you.
Rating: Must See.
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