Empowering Women, “The Hot Ones”
Bottoms is a modern take on the raunchy teen comedy for the internet generation. Rife with terminally online references and absurdist humor, the film is unabashedly itself in a way that is reminiscent of 90s and early 2000s classics. In her sophomore directorial project, Emma Seligman is able to create a comedy that is both timeless and incredibly fresh.
The First Rule of Fight Club
Bottoms follows the story of two queer high school girls who start a fight club to have sex before they graduate. PJ, played by Rachel Sennott, and Josie, played by Ayo Edebiri, are social outcasts who, as the film progresses, struggle to hold their web of lies and the fight club together. The film combines every trope in the book, from the hot cheerleader to the dumb jock, but flips them on their head to make something special. With over-the-top exaggerated characters, exploding cars, and even an out-of-nowhere bloody fight scene that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Quentin Tarantino film, Bottoms is anything but boring.
With the over-the-top nature of the film, the performances are similarly overexaggerated but captivatingly hilarious. Stand-up comedian turned movie star Rachel Sennott plays PJ, the hypersexual nerd, in a way that feels authentic without being forced. Ayo Edebiri, as the quirky and awkward Josie, is the perfect counter to Sennott’s brashness. They play off each other perfectly and feel like two real friends just joking between themselves off camera. Writers Seligman and Sennott were somehow able to capture Gen Z authentically, avoiding the all-too-common trap of making the portrayal cringe-inducingly unbearable. This self-awareness is present in every character and every joke, making the performances engaging and often uncomfortably awkward. Supporting characters even have their own chances to stand out, like the dumb jock Jeff, played by Nicholas Galitzine, or the gorgeous, popular cheerleader Isabel, played by Havana Rose Liu. Every character is a trope turned up to eleven, but modernized to fit perfectly in today’s age, playing off the film’s quirky comedy. Every inch of the film is over-the-top and unserious, but played so authentically straight that the dichotomy itself is hysterical. It is absurdist humor at its peak, and creates a unique comedic experience that has sorely been missing from audiences’ screens.
Satire in Scene, Sound, and Style
Elizabeth Banks, producer behind Pitch Perfect and Cocaine Bear, is no stranger to satirical adult comedy, and it shows in Bottoms.
Cinematographer Maria Rusche and production designer Nate Jones work perfectly together to create quintessential teen movie staples with their own campy twist. The set and cinematography of the film isn’t set in one specific time period, combining 80s and 90s references with modern styling and themes. “A lot of little jokes in the background were baked into the script,” said Seligman in an Indiewire interview. This makes it all the more gratifying for the audience to find each secret gag hidden in shots. Examples include a student trapped in a gigantic cage in the middle of class, graffiti on PJ and Josie’s lockers, or little jokes hidden on class chalkboards that develop along with the story. It is satirical almost to the point of being nonsensical, but through Seligman’s vision, it never feels out of place in tone.
In collaboration with the sets and gags, the music and score are also perfectly blended into the film, further enhancing the time-bending nature of the setting. Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of The Heart” is used masterfully in a hilarious extended joke. In contrast, a more modern hit, Charli XCX’s “Party 4 U,” is used to capstone the absurdity of the film’s ending. XCX actually worked in collaboration with composer Leo Birenberg to create the score for the film with twenty-seven unique tracks on the original motion picture soundtrack. The soundtrack ranges from imposing synth and bass-heavy instrumentals to upbeat, dreamy melodies backed by XCX’s vocals. The soundtrack is played as its own form of joke, with abrupt cuts or backtracks that enhance the slapstick comedy of certain scenes. The sounds in Bottoms are as eclectic as the film’s comedy and fit perfectly into the wonderfully weird world that director Seligman has created.
Lovable Losers
Bottoms is refreshingly modern without feeling like it is pandering or forcing itself to be funny. It is natural in its comedy and feels like a snapshot of the absurdity of modern tropes and jokes. It sparks a feeling of nostalgia in a similar way to teen movie classics, but for the present, showing how significant this genre of comedy is now, before it is even gone. It is uniquely itself in all its campy, absurd, and embarrassing glory. Bottoms is a film whose comedy and jokes might not resonate with everyone, but if they do, they hit hard, like girls in a fight club.
Stream Bottoms on Apple TV+ or HBO Max today!
Bottoms (2023) Official Prime Video Singapore Trailer
Source: Dead Talk Live
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Author
Elke Simmons' writing portfolio includes contributions to The Laredo Morning Times, Walt Disney World Eyes and Ears, Extinction Rebellion (XR) News/Blog, and Dead Talk News.