Bottoms (2023)

[Jake Lipson]

Title: Bottoms (2023)

Tagline: A movie about empowering women (the hot ones)

Genre: Comedy

Director: Emma Seligman

Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Dagmara Domińczyk, Punkie Johnson, Zamani Wilder, Summer Joy Campbell, Virginia Tucker, Wayne Pére, Toby Nichols, Cameron Stout, Ted Ferguson, Bruno Rose, Zach Primo, Liz Elkins Newcomer, Krystal Alayne Chambers, Alyssa Matthews

Release: 2023-08-25

Runtime: 92

Plot: Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Has anyone else seen this yet?

I went today and thought it was hilarious. The audience I was with seemed really into it. It is a real crowd-pleaser. I would not hesitate to recommend it.

 

[JoeStemme]

I did see it. It's not up to Shiva Baby, but has it's moments.
My full take:

BOTTOMS (2023) - Director Emma Seligman and actress Rachel Sennott who teamed up on SHIVA BABY a couple of years ago are back with BOTTOMS. Sennott plays PJ a high school senior who with her bestie Josie (Ayo Ebedin), are determined to lose their virginity as their final year begins. Like SHIVA BABY, Seligman and Sennott (who also co-wrote) the prevailing mood here is one of awkwardness. PJ and Josie are considered losers.

The duo come up with a hair-brained scheme to start an all female 'fight club' after school where they can teach self-defense all the while trying to pick up on their classmates - whether straight or not. A funny running joke involves all the club members sporting bruises and cuts from their brawls - made all the more amusing because Seligman never calls attention to the wounds. The script takes some clever shots at the whole ethos where male jocks are elevated to worshiped heroes on campus.

The cast is energetic with some nice supporting performances from Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu and Kaia Gerber among others. Ex-NFL star Marshawn Lynch displays a natural ease as the club's teacher advisor. Unfortunately, the enthusiastic acting can't fully mask the thinness of the writing. For every genuinely witty turn, there are several that fall flat. Simply reversing the genders and orientation isn't enough; a welcome breath of fresh air that it may be in its directness. The big twist during the Big Game finale doesn't make a lick of even internal sense; But, yes, things do turn out copacetically for our heroines.

Seligman and Sennott are a talented team, but BOTTOMS is a slight step backward after the engaging SHIVA BABY. It often plays more like something from a raunchy streaming comedy than a fully formed feature film. Still, it's fitfully entertaining.

 

[Jake Lipson]

"Bottoms" is now available for digital purchase across the usual platforms. It is $14.99 to buy, so they aren't doing a premium price like most recent theatrical releases do.

I am not clear whether this is an early digital release with a Blu-ray coming, or if it is a digital exclusive. Obviously, I hope for the former. But "Theater Camp" (which incidentally also starred Ayo Edebiri lying about stage combat experience) was recently released as a digital exclusive with no disc.

I will certainly add "Bottoms" to my collection one way or the other, but I would greatly prefer a disc. So I'm hoping news will come soon as to whether there will be a disc release or not.

 

[Jake Lipson]

‘Bottoms’ Director Emma Seligman On The Joy Of Making A Film “With Gay Characters Being Gay” But “That Not Having To Be The Plot” – Deadline Contenders L.A

Bottoms writer-director Emma Seligman and star Rachel Sennott came up with the idea for the raunchy teen comedy on a white board, putting down “everything we wanted to see in a movie on the board” …

deadline.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

Thankfully, Kino Lorber is working on a Blu-ray release for Bottoms. I thought I'd post this in here just in case anyone who is interested in this film might have missed the news in the Kino thread over in the Blu-ray section. I had been worried it would stay a digital exclusive, so I'm thrilled Kino is stepping up and providing a disc.

For anybody who missed the movie in theaters and just wants to watch it once, it is also now streaming with an Amazon Prime membership. My recommendation from last fall still stands.