Emma Seligman’s sophomore release, “Bottoms,” unceremoniously thrusts us into the lives of Josie (Ayo Edebiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennott), two unpopular best friends navigating the intricate hallways of the absurdity we call high school, ever-packed with awkward encounters and teenage melodrama. “Bottoms” is perfectly aware of the teen comedy genre and completely subverts it with queerness and self-deprecation and keeps the jokes coming at breakneck speed, all while not taking itself too seriously.
To say the least, Josie and PJ are societal outcasts – not so much because they’re gay, but because “they’re ugly and untalented.” We follow the two as they embark on a mission of vital importance: losing their virginity before graduation. To kickstart their plan, they decide to latch onto a rumor about their supposed summer stint in juvie to form a self-defense “fight club” and impress the girls they like – all in the name of female solidarity, of course. The duo become school legends overnight, drawing in none other than Brittany (Kaia Gerber) and Isabel (Havana Rose Liu), two incredibly hot and unattainable cheerleaders, upon whom PJ and Josie are fixated.
With this release, Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott as co-writers and co-producers build on the success of their previous project together, “Shiva Baby,” a chaotic dramedy with anxiety to spare directed by Seligman and starring Sennott. In “Bottoms,” Seligman once again crafts a discomforting yet humorous and raunchy narrative, while Sennott and Edebiri flawlessly portray the discomfort, awkwardness and complexity of the queer female experience in their roles. “Bottoms” stands apart during a complicated era. Mainstream releases occasionally tiptoe around queer themes, tossing out hints like breadcrumbs, and sporadically dabble in campiness only to attempt to pivot to deep commentary that results in jarring moments of faux profundity – all while carefully toeing the profit line.
With lines like “Who is Bell Hooks and why do we care?” and “You don’t care about feminism. Your favorite show is Entourage!” the R-rated film is, at its core, a refreshing take on the teen sex comedy genre that was dominated by male-led films like “Superbad” and “American Pie” in the early 2000s. The ensemble cast, led by former NFL running back, Marshall Lynch, as the fight club’s kooky advisor, alongside Ruby Cruz as Hazel (Ruby Cruz), PJ’s pyromaniac classmate. It also stars “Red White and Royal Blue’s” Nicholas Galitzine as Jeff, Isabel’s flamboyant quarterback boyfriend, delivers some of the film’s thrillingly weirdest moments.
Charli XCX and King Princess contribute their creative genius to the film’s soundtrack with tracks such as “Party 4 U” and “Pain,” and as the violence escalates steadily, breaking the boundary between funny and horrific, the film suddenly drops Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” in a truly unexpected moment.
With clear nods to cult classics like “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Heathers,” “Bottoms” is a comedic knockout that manages to be fun without being grossly hypocritical. It is certainly committed to ignoring reality – the entire premise is bizarre and the film simply goes completely off the rails in the last 20 minutes – but it effectively succeeds in its main goal: to be as outlandish and over the top as possible. “Bottoms” offers a refreshing departure from the typically somber and outright depressing narratives of mainstream media featuring queer main characters. It joins the likes of “Booksmart” and “D.E.B.S” in providing audiences with a delightfully silly and unconventional teen comedy that doesn’t shy away from its queerness and brings a much sense of levity to queer representation in cinema.
“Bottoms” is currently playing in select theaters in North America and is also available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
