In this refreshingly outspoken comedy, two unpopular girls in their senior year start a fight club to try to impress and hook up with cheerleaders. A film by Emma Seligman, starring Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Miles Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, and Nicholas Galitzine.
BOTTOMS
Emma Seligman
(2023)
PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), best friends since first grade, now attend Rockridge Falls High School. Josie harbors a secret love for Isabel (Havana Rose Liu), a popular cheerleader who is dating Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine), the star quarterback of the Rockbridge Falls Vikings football team. Meanwhile, PJ pines for Brittany (Kaia Gerber), another beautiful cheerleader.
After summer break, PJ and Josie arrive at the local fair, where they encounter Hazel (Ruby Cruz), who notices Josie’s broken arm. PJ, however, deceives Hazel into believing that they were sent to juvenile boot camp over the summer, which explains Josie’s injury.
Isabel and Jeff bicker in the parking lot. When Josie offers her a ride home, Isabel accepts and climbs into Josie’s car. Jeff blocks Josie’s path, standing defiantly in front of the vehicle. Encouraged by PJ and Isabel, Josie drives forward, believing that Jeff will move out of the way. However, Jeff remains steadfast, and Josie’s car gently bumps his kneecaps, sending him to the ground.
The next day, rumors swirl about PJ and Josie’s juvenile detention and their alleged assault on Jeff, the school’s star quarterback. Summoned to the principal’s office, the two face expulsion. Josie quickly defuses the situation by claiming that they were practicing for their self-defense club, which they have yet to establish.
Later that afternoon, PJ, Josie, and Hazel gather to discuss their next move. They decide to create an actual self-defense club, ostensibly to teach students how to protect themselves, but PJ and Josie harbor ulterior motives. They see the club as an opportunity to attract beautiful young women.
The film is essentially another iteration of the oft-repeated teen comedy genre, this time with two lesbian leads. There are some whimsical moments that could be considered humorous, but the overall plot is excessively predictable.
The first thirty minutes of the film are engaging, but the middle section becomes tedious. If you can persevere through that, you will be rewarded with a bloody fight sequence in the final fifteen minutes that is nonsensical but highly entertaining.
BOTTOMS premiered at SXSW on 11 March 2023. The film received a limited theatrical release on 25 August before its general release in the United States on 1 September.
