Emma Seligman’s long anticipated female fight club film has finally dropped in theaters and I am here to tell you that the 93% on rotten tomatoes is no mistake. Bottoms is an R-rated teen comedy that explores the nitty gritty of high school love and shows how far we will go to achieve our goals. Starring Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sonnett, the film follows two best friends (PJ and Josie) as they enter a new school year and are met with the stereotypical homophobia that comes with the territory of being a lesbian. The girls traverse the year with their eyes set on emerging into the limelight before accidentally injuring the school’s star quarterback Jeff in an attempt to protect his cheerleader girlfriend from him. This incident propels them into stardom and kickstarts the rumor that the two are hardy brawlers who’ve been in and out of juvie. With their newfound influence, PJ and Josie devise a plan to maintain their fighter facade by starting a women’s self-defense club and using it to get closer to the cheerleaders. The club becomes a massive success and changes everything for PJ and Josie.
Bottoms is by far one of the funniest movies of the year and will most likely end neck and neck with Barbie for number one. Director Emma Seligman approaches the comedy in a similar fashion as seen in the iconic film Superbad–every character is uniquely absurd and the film allows itself to play heavy into the parodies displayed throughout. For example, the movie’s depiction of the football team is hilariously hyper-masculine and childish which allows for such a distinct contrast in feeling compared to the main LGBTQ+ leads. On the topic of the leads, it helps that the acting in this film is incredible, with a shoutout due to Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sonnett for their ability to switch from silly teenage humor to serious friendship-splitting arguments. Their chemistry is unmatched on screen and draws comparisons to the magic Jonah Hill and Michael Cera created together everytime I think about it. If you ask me, their performance will likely be one that movie fans look back at and cherish–this movie has potential to be a classic.
While it is important to note Seligman’s majorly successful attempts at comedy, the film’s romantic face is surprisingly touching. The dynamic of Josie and her cutthroat cheerleader crush slowly falling for each other over the events of the movie make for such an enjoyable watch and leave a longing for more of that connection. When that final kiss takes place, it’s like fireworks popping left right and center. To be able to craft such a seamless and effective comedy while also blending in heartstring tugging moments–that’s incredible. Overall, this film is majorly impressive and will be highly regarded for some time.
ANDREW’S FINAL RATING: 4.5 COUGARS OUT OF 5
