Director Emma Seligman set out to make a queer high school fight club comedy—and as outrageous as that combination may sound, her vision came true. Her new comedy “Bottoms” is a wild, funny movie, framed as a conventional high school comedy but infused with a singular voice and energy to spare.
“Bottoms” is Seligman’s second feature following 2020’s “Shiva Baby,” a barebones independent film starring Rachel Sennott. Seligman and Sennott (who co-stars in “Bottoms” and co-wrote the screenplay with Seligman) are real-life best friends and they have created a near-perfect creative partnership.
PJ (Sennott) and Josie (FX’s “The Bear” breakout star Ayo Edebiri) know they aren’t on the popular end of the spectrum in their high school due to their standing as the “untalented lesbians” in the social hierarchy. PJ is a more forceful character than Josie, who is trying to remove the pressure of achieving her first sexual conquest before college. However, PJ won’t allow it—she wants to transcend how they are viewed in high school by any means necessary. The idea of a female fight club (or self-defense club, to sound less questionable) is floated, but Josie quickly dismisses it as a joke. Not PJ; she sees this as the perfect way for her crush Brittany (Kaia Gerber) to hopefully recognize her and maybe Josie’s crush Isabel (Havana Rose Liu, showing movie star promise in this role) will do the same.
Their club gets a modest following, but word quickly spreads, as it often does in the gossipy halls of a high school, and everything that could go wrong does. Seligman and Sennott’s screenplay is smart because it doesn’t shy away from the clichés that riddle this kind of comedy. They lean into the tried-and-true tropes of coming-of-age movies, presenting them through a different lens. The specificity of “Bottoms” and a deranged sense of humor give the movie its edge, allowing it to rise above formulaic premise.
“Shiva Baby” put Seligman on the map as a writer-director and gave Sennott a breakout moment as an actor. Since their first collaboration, Sennott has saved movies like “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a largely unsuccessful horror-comedy that was massively elevated by her presence. “Bottoms” continues her rise, reinforcing that there isn’t a comedic voice like hers in cinema today. Sennott’s deadpan wit and delivery can make the simplest line sing or, in the case of “Bottoms,” the darkest joke hilarious. Edebiri operates in a different comedic key than Sennott, which makes them a perfect pair to play opposite— watching them at the forefront of “Bottoms” signifies hope for the future of film comedies.
The screenplay gives the supporting cast moments to shine with agency of their own, which is often rare for an ensemble comedy. In one of the great bits of casting this year, Marshawn Lynch plays Mr. G, the teacher PJ and Josie convince to sponsor their club. His delivery is impeccable and his character is often used for a reaction shot to the insanity happening at the school. Nicholas Galitzine (who stars in the blandly charming “Red, White & Royal Blue” on Amazon) is pitch-perfect as the vain jock who is propped up as the school’s hero.
Part of the plot involves the lead-up to a big football game against a rival school. The game sequence does give “Bottoms” some of its wildest moments, but as part of the plot it ends up feeling like an afterthought, forgotten amidst the central focus of the fight club. It feels like Seligman begins throwing everything she can at the screen to see what sticks, offering some laughs but making it feel like the plot is spinning its wheels.
Despite some final act hiccups, “Bottoms” will be a generational go-to for some moviegoers. Agree or disagree on such a distinction, but it’s hard to dismiss, just as it was for the 1998 “Heathers” or 2004 “Mean Girls” — two movies with similar DNA. Either way, hopefully it’s the beginning of many Seligman and Sennott collaborative projects.
“Bottoms” opens Friday, September 8 at The Little Theatre. Tickets here.
Matt Passantino is a freelance contributor to CITY. Feedback about this article can be directed to leah@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2023.
