From Joe Peltzer

Over-the-top, ridiculous, raunchy, and absolutely effective in every way, Bottoms is a well-acted comedic blast that leans all of the way in to the absurd and delivers one of the best films of the year.

In the film, two high schoolers (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) start a fight club as a way to get closer to, and hook up with, their cheerleading crushes. But once the club takes off, they risk being found out. Emma Seligman follows up her hit 2020 hit Shiva Baby here, cowriting Bottoms with Sennott, the star of both films. The script these two have concocted is one of the most insane in recent memory, delivering some preposterous lines and scenes in a straight-faced approach. Sennott and Edebiri are sensational together, both absolutely committed to the craziness while also manages to exude charm when it comes to their characters’ friendship. 

On top of it all, Bottoms tells a smart story that builds upon what has come before. It’s explicit, it’s bloody, it’s fantastical… and it’s incredibly satisfying. Bottoms is like a mix of Not Another Teen Movie and Mean Girls infused with strong Queer energy. While the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny, the physical comedy is undeniably hilarious. Often while the characters are conversing in the foreground, the action is happening in the background. How all involved were able to keep straight faces and actually produce the film is a mystery to me.

At a tight 90 minutes, Bottoms delivers a well-crafted film that is bound put a smile on your face. Seligman and Sennott take some big swings with their outlandish script that ultimately work because of the talent involved and the willingness to commit. What results is not only one of the funniest movies of the year, but one of the best comedies in the last decade; it’s sure to become a cult classic. 

Rating: 5/5

Bottoms hits theaters on Friday, August 25th, 2023.

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