Without a doubt one of the best surprises of the end of 2023, Bottoms is a unique film of its kind. Two high school girls start a self-defense group for women, without any experience, and to win the heart of their crush. It’s full of energy, and hilarious.
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A ” Fight Club » for high school girls, created by two unpopular students with the sole aim of seducing their crush, cheerleaders. This is the starting pitch of Bottoms and, as absurd as it may seem, it is neither a nonsense nor yet another unoriginal film about sexuality in high school. It’s a huge success.
Several months after its release in the United States, Bottoms finally arrives in France. Available on Prime Video since November 21, 2023, Bottomsdirected by Emma Seligman, is perfectly hilarious, and above all completely crazy.
Bottoms is really very, very funny
The first reason why you have to see Bottoms, it’s simply because the film is extremely funny: it’s been a long time since we’ve laughed so frankly at a film. Here, no forced little laughs in front of a gag already seen a hundred times and embarrassing: room for punch lines and the chiseled, second-degree dialogues and an acerbic caricature of adolescence. High school students are shown at their worst, with their immoderate hatred for the opposing school’s football team and their obsession with sex.
However, Bottoms never indulges in schoolboy humor, preferring to concentrate on situational comedy and on characters who are completely bizarre, but very endearing. Once we reach the end – which is completely crazy – we want more.
Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Sennot, and all the actors of Bottoms
Whether with Josie, played by Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), PJ, played by Rachel Sennot (Shiva Baby), Hazel (Ruby Cruz, seen notably in Willow) or even Jeff, played by Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue), Bottoms benefits from an excellent cast.
No one else would manage to throw out, with complete casualness, sentences like “ I really like it when people express their love for me through violence “, or ” yes, let’s all become terrorists “. The actors of Bottoms always manage to find the right tone so that the dialogues, marvels of humor, hit the spot.
The members of the cast especially manage not to overplay their characters – which is no easy feat when you’re making a film so deeply rooted in second-degree and irony. Their performance brings them to life, and makes them endearing — even for characters as strange as Jeff or Mr. G., the sports teacher played by a real professional American football player.
A perfect parody ofAmerican Pie and of Fight Club
It is precisely because the actors are so good that Bottoms manages to be the perfect parody of high school movies Americans, American Pie Or SuperSevere on your mind. Where these productions were dripping with sexism and homophobia, Bottoms chose the opposite bias, being openly critical of the toxic masculinity of the high school’s star football team.
The protagonists’ search for sexual experiences at all costs is also seen in another light: for once, women are more than flat, personalityless objects of desire. Unlike productions like American Piewhere only the fantasies of men counted, the heroines of Bottoms are truly actors of their desires.
Finally, it’s hard to see Bottoms without thinking about Fight Club — the film is also cited several times. If Bottoms takes up the basic idea – a group which organizes fights without rules – it is absolutely not a remake or a homage to the David Fincher film. Violence is not glorified, and the very idea of a fight club is mocked, with fake blood and black eyes.
In the end, more than being a simple parody, Bottoms has the luxury of having an extra bit of soul and of being, at times, truly touching. A real experience.
Bottoms is the perfect lesbian comedy
Bottoms also stands out from all its predecessors by its assumed queer side. Both heroines are openly lesbian, and no one has a problem with that. If PJ and Josie aren’t popular, it’s not because they’re gay, but because they’re ” untalented » — understand, without any talent or charisma.
The film also manages not to fall into clichés, but to have fun with them – we think in particular of the lesbians who fall in love with straight cheerleaders. Likewise, the humor and the jokes are not at the expense of the lesbian heroines, but with them, a fact still too rare to be underlined.
Finally, and this will certainly delight many, the film offers a real happy ending, but without cliché. Until the end, Bottoms shows freshness, devastating humor and boundless energy. The work has all the makings of a future cult film, destined to be rewatched over and over again by fans.
If ever Bottoms wasn’t enough for you in terms of queer content, you can also find our selection of the best lesbian films available on Netflix and the best series with lesbians, all platforms combined.
The verdict
We liked
- A very very funny film
- Top actresses and actors
- A great lesbian comedy
We liked it less
- The ending, perhaps a bit too crazy for some
Bottoms, it’s a big breath of fresh air in the world of cinema. Between absurd humor with plenty of spice, impeccable actors and actresses, and a unique story, we easily let ourselves be drawn into the crazy world of Emma Seligman, the director. Even if the ending, quite surreal, will perhaps leave some spectators disappointed, we have an excellent time watching Bottomsand we can only advise you to do the same thing.
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