Raunchy high school movies are back, but this time it is for the girls. After her remarkable debut film, Shiva Baby, director Emma Seligman collaborates once again with actress Rachel Sennot to create Bottoms. Together, they introduce a fun, bloody, and chaotic cinematic experience to audiences worldwide. The movie revolves around two queer high school seniors, Josie (Ayo Edibiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennot). To get attention from their crushes, they concoct a lie about spending the summer in juvenile detention. As a result, they find themselves in a situation where girls start questioning how they would defend themselves. In response, Josie and PJ decide to create a fight/self-defense club at school to teach girls how to throw and block punches.
Bottoms made its astounding entrance onto the movie scene, premiering at the South by Southwest festival on March 11, 2023, where it garnered early attention and excitement. The film opened in limited release in ten theaters, and in its opening weekend, it grossed $461,052 with a per-theater average of $46,105. This marked the highest per-screen average on ten or more screens since the Oscar-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once. The film expanded to 715 theaters in its second weekend, earning $11 million (and counting).
Everyone was in on the joke; the movie pokes fun at the clichés of the “High School Coming of Age” genre. It portrays the football team inexplicably never seen without their pads and uniforms on, and teachers who only make simple statements before letting students do as they please. Bottoms fully embraces the dumb jock stereotype. In the film, Nicholas Galitzine plays Jeff, the beloved high school quarterback and unfaithful boyfriend to Isabel, the cheerleader who Josie has a crush on. Miles Fowler portrays a member of the football team and popular kid, Tim. Galitzine and Fowler make a perfect comedic duo, bringing to life two incredibly exaggerated versions of dumb high school jocks.
Additionally, the film’s soundtrack is amazing, featuring a mix of queer artists and iconic Y2K hits, such as “PAIN” by King Princess or “party 4 u” by Charli XCX. Bottoms incorporates numerous retro needle drops throughout the movie, such as Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” during a revenge scene, and Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” playing during a montage of the group after a big fight. Charli XCX and Leo Birenberg craft a modern and cool feel for the soundtrack, perfectly complementing the film’s bloody and nostalgic tone.
“The movie was hilarious; I was laughing the whole time,” said senior Jordan Kowalewski. “My favorite scene was the fight scene at the end of the movie; the choreography was amazing.” Once you see the movie, you’ll understand what Jordan is talking about; the final fight sequence was chaotic, unhinged, and disturbingly funny. Dead bodies of football players were strewn about the field, many components were added on, such as swords, sprinklers, and helmets. There was an astonishing level of detail woven into the film.
Bottoms will be looked upon as a cult classic and a must-watch around the world. Comedy movies are becoming more rare these days, especially good ones. Seligman knew what she was doing. It is safe to say that Bottoms landed every punch.
