‘Bottoms’ Review

Teen comedies that capture the culture of the youth of each generation exist. This is particularly prevalent in parody; examples include beloved movies like Wet Hot American Summer and Not Another Teen Movie. Bottoms, the second movie written and directed by Emma Seligman and starring co-writer and executive producer Rachel Sennott, is just that for the current generation of LGBT kids. Nonetheless, even though it does take a few cues from the greatest in the genre, Bottoms offers a distinct, disruptive, and avant-garde perspective on teen angst and sex. The sequel to Seligman and Sennott’s 2020 film Shiva Baby breaks down barriers and raises the bar for what contemporary teen satires can and should achieve. Prepare yourself because Bottoms isn’t only going to be one of 2023’s breakout indie jewels; it’s also going to become a new cult classic with a dedicated following.

The hilarious team of Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) lead us through a satirical depiction of the struggles modern queer teens face, and it’s just as irrational as you might think. Two lesbians—PJ and Josie, played by Sennott and Edebiri, respectively—start a self-defense club in their senior year of high school to get laid with the sexiest girls and lose their virginity before they graduate. Even though they are some of the biggest oddballs around, these childhood best friends constantly stick together as they scuttle to the bottom of the social food chain. They are ridiculed for being lesbians, but they also frequently make humorous jabs at girls who are beneath them. Their self-defense organization develops into a full-fledged fight club as it gains popularity and draws in a variety of female students, from fellow awkward outcasts to the most popular cheerleaders.

Bottoms’ satirical high school setting turns the script on prevalent prejudices while simultaneously exaggerating them. For instance, the male high school football team is held in such opulent awe that the entire student body and faculty are at their mercy. They’re all flashy divas who are so self-absorbed that they routinely try to get away with sexual harassment and other offenses. One of the many humorous ironies in the movie that feeds its emotional female core is this one. The women end up bringing out the best in one other when they are together in a culture where they have all come to terms with being undervalued and used as props to the point of mockery. It’s simply that in Bottoms, these women come together and discover how to embrace their identities and femininity by pummeling each other mercilessly in a close-mouthed combat club.

This narrative has barely just begun, so don’t assume it’s crazy already. Bottoms has no boundaries when it comes to satire, and each act of the play gets more and more outlandish. In the best manner conceivable, the humor that Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott infuse into their script is as dark as you can imagine. Even using the terms “raunchy” or “provocative” sounds inadequate. Bottoms poke fun at everything from identity politics to social conventions to deeper subjects like trauma and abuse via the darkest sense of comedy. But because of Seligman and Sennott’s sharp sense of humor, the comedy never feels out of proportion. The writing team knows when to deliver the sharpest jokes, ensuring that they hit as hard as possible. Like any great satirist, Bottoms knows how to keep the humor going strong while the plot develops.

Bottoms accomplish the really difficult comedic accomplishment of having completely random humor without it feeling contrived. A tone is established right away that instructs the spectator to accept things as they come. In this bizarre setting, anything can happen at any time, and it’s frequently overwhelming, but in a way that makes you want to quickly reverse a scene so you can catch your breath from laughing so hysterically. Every figure in the frame is frequently preoccupied with committing to their own side bit and background comedy as we learn more about the wacky high school in the movie. Although some are simpler to spot than others, the movie never comes off as trying too hard to be random for the sake of it. Instead, it’s controlled anarchy, just as classic Adam McKay comedies like Anchorman and Step Brothers were unpredictable.

Bottoms’ witty satire gives way to a poignant coming-of-age story. The emotional undercurrent that runs through this young-adult story is palpable from beginning to end, which helps explain why the anarchic humor never feels out of place or annoying. Our gang of ladies, led by PJ and Josie, trade bruises and black eyes as they learn that their identities aren’t as simply defined and that, in order to thrive in this strange environment, they must be open to everything — creatively, sexually, and everything in between. Although Bottoms has a well-known coming-of-age plot, the movie really enjoys itself more when it plays up these clichés. Bottoms is proud of its heightened campiness, complete with lusty teenagers, villainous athletes, snarky cheerleaders, and an Avril Lavigne needle drop. Certainly, the movie is incredibly self-referential, but it doesn’t do it to win praise; rather, it does it because it wants to.

This brings us to Bottoms’ core ensemble, which is made up exclusively of female actors. The Comedy Central comedy team of Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri reinvents their on-screen relationship in what is possibly their funniest work to date. Both of their parts capitalize on their loud comedic prowess while venturing out into the novel ground, providing them with some much-needed emotional openness. Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), Kaia Gerber (Babylon), Ruby Cruz (Willow), Summer Joy Campbell (Paradise Lost), Virginia Tucker (Days of Daisy), and Zamani Wilder also join them (Swagger). Their individual comedy styles and high levels of performance are all supported by excellent writing. There are far too many memorable laughs to count because each character is given numerous opportunities to provide them. Thanks to this stellar cast, Bottoms is undoubtedly only going to get funnier over time.

Of course, it is impossible to ignore the LGBTQ+ representation in this tale. Bottoms is only the most recent entry in a promising new period of LGBT cinema, but because of its sheer audacity, it stands out from the crowd. The sexually free characters in Emma Seligman’s movie are allowed to run wild right away and never turn back as they figuratively set their world on fire. It is blunt and doesn’t give a damn what people may think. Nothing is also flung around for cheap laughs and shits. The actual narrative of two young lesbians battling for their long-overdue high school love story gives Bottoms its laughs. The film doubles or perhaps triples in charm when they eventually become involved in a complicated homosexual romance. Bottoms will be remembered as one of the best comedies ever made, not simply because it was a great high school comedy.

Bottoms is already a contender for the most hilarious comedy of 2023, it should be said. Emma Seligman and company have built a fully realized satirical world with the aid of cinematographer Maria Rusche, Charli XCX, and Leo Birenberg, who supply the soundtrack to the movie. As more young viewers learn about this world, it will become increasingly cherished. Some jokes, such as the former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch playing a ridiculous high school teacher (yep, you read that right), would lose their humor after a few moments in a lesser teen comedy. Such absurd characters in Bottoms actively participate in the emotional arc of the movie and maintain their absurdity throughout. The same is true of Miles Fowler’s and Nicholas Galitzine’s nasty jocks. There is simply too much to love and lose your sh*t laughing over in Bottoms, a true cult classic.

SCORE: 5/5

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