By Gianna Mulvey
Emma Seligman’s newest comedy movie, Bottoms (2023), tells the story of two lesbian high schoolers who start a fight club in an attempt to meet girls and lose their virginity. The movie is an explicit satire of high school culture portrayed in other movies and is a raunchy and hilarious watch for anyone looking for a good laugh.
From the opening scene, the movie demands your attention with the natural and witty dialogue between the main characters, Josie (Ayo Edebiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennott). Their conversations flow and are always entertaining. Many of their lines seemed improvised, which I think is a great way to keep dialogue fresh and engaging. There was never a time during the movie where I found conversation between two characters to be unnatural or uninteresting.
The cast is phenomenal and has such great chemistry with each other. Supporting actors such as Ruby Cruz and Havana Rose Liu are amazing in their roles. The soundtrack and the songs that play in each scene fit incredibly well and add to the mood perfectly. The sets are bright and loud, and the costumes fit the characterization of each character very well.
I know a big issue with movies that take place in high school portray high schoolers in a very cliche and sometimes cringy way. Bottoms acknowledges those cliches and embraces them in a way that is completely satirical. From the worship of the school’s football team to the bullying and harassment of those who are different, the movie makes an effort to point out to the audience how ridiculous these tropes can be and uses this to the movie’s comedic advantage.
One of the biggest themes that the movie tackles is feminism. Although many of their points are layered under jokes, the movie does make an effort to make the audience aware of the challenges that women face, such as rape, the comparison of beauty to intelligence, and brushing off concerns and fears that women harbor. The movie also tackles the difficulties of being a queer youth in high school, but this issue doesn’t take an as immediate approach as feminism does in the film.
I can’t remember the last time I watched a comedy that had me laughing so often. Bottoms is genuinely funny and has some of the wittiest writing I have seen in a comedy in quite a while. The characters are a joy to watch on-screen, the story, although simple in some areas, is impactful, and the comedy/ jokes hit in all the right places. If you’ve seen the trailer or have even the slightest interest in watching Bottoms, then definitely give it a watch.
