Bottoms Review – The Cast Tops This
PJ and Josie are at the bottom of their high-school popularity meter, but both of them have a crush on the hottest cheerleaders on campus, and PJ is determined to find a way to score their dream girls. The perfect opportunity comes their way when they start a fight club, in hopes of getting close to their crushes.
Directed by Emma Seligman, who’s co-written the story with Rachel Sennot, “Bottoms” is a spoof-like take on the high-school romantic comedy genre, taking digs at long established tropes with a queer twist. Rachel Sennott also plays protagonist PJ, while Ayo Edebiri is her socially-awkward BFF Josie. They are in love with the prettiest cheerleaders on campus – Brittany (Kaia Gerber) and Isabel (Havana Rose Liu), and the latter is dating the star quarterback Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine).
“Bottoms” kicks off with a wild, colorful scene: PJ and Josie hit up an amusement park, hoping to impress their crushes. Luckily, Isabel hops into their car post-spat with Jeff, but things take a hilarious turn when Jeff throws a melodramatic fit, feigning serious injury as the girls maneuver their car against him, though it barely grazes him. His buddies rush to his side, buying into the drama, and suddenly PJ and Josie are seen as tough badasses who took down a star athlete. That’s how they end up launching their own underground fight club, with a noble facade of teaching self-defense to high school girls. But let’s be real, their main agenda is to use it as a clever ruse to score with others.
Even though he has limited screen-time, Nicholas Galtzine shines as Jeff, delivering plenty of comedic moments as an egomaniac bubble-brained jock. Rachel Sennott brings an annoying yet intentionally crafted portrayal of PJ, designed to irk viewers with her excessive self-centeredness, akin to Jeff but without the princess airs, theatrics, and popularity. On the flip side, Ayo Edebiri charms as the endearingly under-confident Josie, who navigates PJ’s antics with frustration yet unwavering loyalty, willingly joining her in harebrained schemes and exaggerated tales. Essentially, PJ and Josie share a love-hate dynamic—best friends always there for each other, yet often tempted to pull each other’s hair out. Hazel Callahan plays Ruby Cruz, a socially awkward classmate who helps PJ and Josie run their “fight club”, while a teacher called Mr G (Marshawn Lynch) agrees to oversee the club activities.
Even though the “fight club” starts off as an elaborate ruse, the girls who join the club begin to genuinely bond, and their meetings range from painfully violent to downright fun.
While the climactic conflict might be somewhat predictable, the second half of “Bottoms” does deliver some unexpected twists. Moreover, there’s plenty of action, complete with blood and mild gore. The soundtrack enhances all the absurdities of this quirky, edgy comedy, which is all about teenage hormones, rage, stupidity and maybe a little about female empowerment. The film has enough ridiculously funny scenes and eccentric characters to keep you entertained until the end.
Rating: 7 on 10. You can stream “Bottoms” on Prime Video.
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