Bottoms - A Movie Review

We have to learn to defend ourselves if we want to fight back.

After winning a fight, Bottoms aired in theaters in 2023. Two queer unpopular high school best friends, Josie and PJ, start a fight club in their school. Their original plan was to hook up with cheerleaders, but the club has more of a positive influence than they predicted.

I wasn’t expecting to like Bottoms as much as I did. My friend and I belted out in laughter while seeing it in theaters. Bottoms not only delivers hilarious comedy but also signifies a genuine and thought-provoking message about women's empowerment and LGBTQ representation.

Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri are a powerhouse duo as P.J. and Josie. They made this friendship feel real. Both actresses had different approaches to comedy and they also did a superb job in portraying their character’s vulnerabilities.

Ayo Edebiri has had a successful year in the media with The Bear and Theater Camp. She is a talented actress, evoking a range of depth. Ediberi and Sennott performed a heated argument very well.

The supporting cast is one of the most important parts of Bottoms. Everyone had the best time working on this film. Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Zamani Wilder, and Summer Joy-Campbell were excellent as the other members of the fight club. Although they’re stereotypical high school characters, they put new touches on the cliches.

As annoying self-centered football athletes, Nicholas Galitzino and Miles Fowler hammed up every scene to perfection. Marshawn Lynch improvised most of his humorous dialogue. The whole cast knew the assignment and delivered memorable performances.

Bottoms is a silly film. Not all audiences will like the film's raunchy comedy. We need more films that we don’t have to take seriously. The cast embraced the film’s over-the-top spirit. Some of the best lines of dialogue you’ll hear are in this film. If only I recorded my reactions because when I saw I was laughing, I snorted at one point that it echoed in the theater.

Looking back at its raunchy comedy, one of Bottoms’ most commendable aspects is its ability to deliver thematic themes related to women’s empowerment and self-discovery. The film's message about women learning to defend themselves adds a layer of depth that makes it more than just another comedy.

Emma Seligman made Bottoms at the right time. This is a film for anyone who has struggled to fit in - especially in high school. The LGBTQ community has been overlooked for too long. It's a film that the community has long deserved, and its inclusion in the raunchy comedy genre is a breath of fresh air.

What’s important is that Seligman let the cast have fun, improvising dozens of takes. Stay for the bloopers after the credits. Something is always happening in each scene, especially in the background. Background comedy is my favorite and we need to bring it back.

The ending was overly silly. It took the concept too far. The story also drifted from its main concept about the fight club. The girls learn defense techniques but we don't get enough time to see them in practice.

Be warned, this film gets pretty bloody. Things get violent. The girls get punched in the face, kicked around, and one of the girls is roughly tackled by the football team. I winced a few times. There was one violent episode that was unrealistic for a high school setting.

You have to see Bottoms in theaters. It’s funny and has a strong message. Take your best friends and go have a laugh.