Review: “Bottoms”
The first rule of “Fight Club” may be almost as well known and followed as that of the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments and so on, but it appears that when “Fight Club” is brought to the satirical world of queer teenage girls, all rules go out with window. This is “Bottoms.”
Directed by Emma Seligman, the movie follows the story of the self-proclaimed gay and untalented lesbian losers of Rockbridge Falls High PJ and Josie, played by the contrastingly talented Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri.
Down on their luck when it comes to love, the two girls find themselves starting an all-girl self-defense club with the secret goal of losing their virginity to two cheerleaders. As time goes on, they find themselves wrapped up in a web of lies as they navigate love, all while an impending life-or-death football game remains on the horizon.
“Bottoms” takes everything viewers loved about the early 2000s rom-coms and detonates it with even more flair and jaw-dropping humor.
A standout of the film is no two characters are alike. The individuality of each character and the over-saturation of all personalities is what makes each scene so engrossing.
“Bottoms,” despite being a queer satirical comedy, also has its take on the concept of masculinity. The character Jeff, played by Nicholas Galitzine, is the high school quarterback and tends to steal the spotlight when he is on screen. The take on the modern high school football player this film has, despite being hilarious to the point of tears, holds a lot of weight in its discussion of modern masculinity. It calls into question and educates on topics such as male relationships with pornography as well as heterosexual male friendships.
The mise-en-scene of “Bottoms” is ultimately what transports viewers back into the early 2000s. The film colors are like those of a Skittles packet. The extremely bright and saturated tone found in the settings, costuming and even the football field only adds to the chaos and dopamine rush of the movie’s world.
Via editing, the use of the cliche rom-com montage has made its comeback in the 2020s thanks to Seligman. Another notable return is the credits blooper reel, which reveals much of the movie was improved or ad-libbed by the actors, especially Galitzine’s lines.
The soundtrack of “Bottoms” is another element that gets the blood pumping while watching, with songs ranging from throwback 2000s hits like Avril Lavigne to current major popstar Charli XCX, who co-composed the soundtrack. Viewers can note the current trending song “party 4 u” is actually heard at the end of this film.
Speaking of the end of this film, without giving too much away, there is a fight scene that holds its own when compared to all modern superhero movies. If one finds themself halfway through this film and not having it, just wait for the last 20 minutes.
“Bottoms” has elevated the standard for the modern-day high school rom-com by delving into topics like queer teenage love, self-identity and masculinity. While audiences might end up bursting out laughing, they may also learn something new about themselves, the queer community or teenagers in general.