If you’re looking to watch a cliche high school rom-com with a bit of a progressive twist, “Bottoms” is the film for you. This LQBTQ+ film centers around the protagonists PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who have been coined the ‘ugly, untalented gays’ by their peers. In order to impress the most popular girls in school, they decide to start a fight club by capitalizing on what their classmates fear most: getting attacked by their school rivals, Richmond.
“Why is the school set on disliking PJ and Josie?” you may ask, the answer begins at a back-to-school carnival, where PJ and Josie jokingly tell their gullible friend Hazel (Ruby Cruz) that they spent their summer in Juvie, a rumor that is quickly circulated around the school. Soon after, Josie hits the school’s star football player, Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine) with their car, putting him on crutches.
Rather than shy away from their “bad girl” reputation, Josie and PJ embrace it. That’s where the self-defense club comes in: an organization dedicated to passing down their fighting techniques to other girls in their school, with the ulterior motive of finally getting the attention of their two of their longtime crushes, Isabel and Brittany. With the help of their advisor, Mr. G (Marshawn Lynch), their fight club takes off.
Their school’s obsession with football — captured most explicitly by the boys who wear their football uniforms every day (pads included) — pokes fun at American high school stereotypes. This movie is very camp and has a lot of 2000s pop culture references that are impossible for fans to miss, including a very dramatic standoff montage to Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated.”
The script is well-written, but it’s nothing new. It’s another movie with a barrage of attempts to connect with Gen Z’s humor, and some of the jokes fall short or feel forced. Nevertheless, there are definitely a lot of laughable moments. Another bonus is the film’s star studded cast, with recognizable names such as Kaia Gerber and Nicholas Galitzine who delivered memorable performances.
Although violence is definitely a main focus for the film, it also has a deeper message of female empowerment. During a scary time for girls at their school with threats from Richmond increasing as the homegaming game approaches, PJ and Josie work to encourage girls to stand up for themselves through self defense so they feel more confident in public. It feels refreshing to normalize such a message in a movie, without it overpowering the main storyline.
Bottoms is a great new LGBTQ+ movie for anyone. The characters are really enjoyable and are sure to make you laugh. And who knows, maybe Burlingame could use its own “fight club” — without as much violence, of course.
