THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
High school is an eventful experience for everyone because so much shit can happen in the blink of an eye. You think it’s a game? Look at Bottoms.
PLOT
The film follows PJ and Josie, two unpopular besties who go to Rockfridge Falls High School and have crushes on two popular cheerleaders, Isabel and Brittany. When attending a local fair, they witness Isabel get into an argument with her boyfriend, Rockfridge Falls Viking quarterback Jeff. The girl tries to leave with the two protagonists in their car, but the quarterback refuses to let them leave by standing in their way. Feeling no other choice; Josie softly bumps into his leg, but he and his teammates make it off like the injury was severe. By the time another semester starts, rumors spread that PJ & Josie went to juvie over the summer after having a fight with Jeff. The rumors would circulate toward Principal Meyers (Wayne Pére) and would expel them both, but Josie would save themselves by worsening the lie and claim they’re starting a self defense club. They end up making it legit when one of their classmates, Hazel, spreads word of it to other girls who would want to join for the sake of female environment, when in reality, PJ & Josie would use it to attract girls like the cheerleaders. They then go to their history teacher Mr G to be their club advisor, believing he’d be too disinterested to attend at least one meeting. They would be caught off guard when he actually does and tries shutting them down when seeing how violent they are towards one another, but they convince him to keep it afloat when claiming it exists to represent female environment. Not only do Isabel & Brittany join the club, but they are able to bond with the other members, while still lying about being in juvie. Jeff’s teammate Tim however picks up on the lie and gets confirmation of it when reaching out to local juvie halls. He chooses to go out of his way doing this to ensure the Vikings have all the attention within the buildup of their upcoming game against their rival team, Huntington High. One day, Hazel would walk in on her mother having an affair with Jeff. When she shares this bombshell to Josie, she chooses to tell Isabel who she quickly dumps. The club helps her get even when TP-ing and egging the house, but Hazel takes it too far by destroying his car with a handmade bomb. When Tim quickly suspects them to be involved, the club would voluntarily disband, knowing Principal Meyers will believe anything coming from him or Jeff. Feeling disappointed of it falling apart, PJ takes it out on Hazel by mocking her loneliness. Tim would take advantage of this and seek her attention after this fallout. This same night, Josie would score with Isabel, but PJ doesn’t achieve the same luck over Brittany. The latter turns her down due to clearing it up she was always straight and never gay. On the following day at school, a pep rally would occur for the upcoming game and Tim would call on Hazel to represent the club by fighting the school’s top boxer Tucker (Cameron Stout) in combat; He was able to convince her when tricking her to think she would fight PJ. She does defend herself for the most part but would still take a severe beating. At that moment, Tim outs the intentions of PJ & Josie for making the club in the first place, which disappoints the members and Mr. G, who truly enjoyed the bond they built with one another. When the pep rally concludes, PJ & Josie would not come to terms with who was at fault for making the club, causing them to fallout as well. When Josie seeks advice from her childhood babysitter Rhodes (Punkie Johnson), she ends up sharing that Huntington High traditionally kills students from Rockfridge to gain an advantage for their games. Knowing Jeff and his team are in danger, Josie makes amends with PJ and the club to save the team. When investigating at the field before the game could start, Josie would also discover the opposing team has tied barrels of pineapple juice to sprinkler system, which would kill Jeff due to his extreme allergies towards pineapples. Hazel tries distracting the crowd by blowing up a tree, but her bomb doesn’t go off this time. PJ improvises a whole other distraction by kissing her. When Huntington’s team arrives, the club officially reassembles by fighting them all off which leads to bloody results as many players from Huntington would be killed in the process. In the midst of it all, Josie is able to get Jeff off the field in time before the sprinklers go off. When they do, Tim deduces the plan and orders it to be turned off, which Hazel’s mom does. Rockfridge would praise the club for saving Jeff, resulting in Josie and Isabel embracing each other, but the film would abruptly end with Hazel’s bomb going off late which destroys the tree.
THOUGHTS
High school films felt like a dying breed to me because expectations felt high with the fun I had over 2019’s Booksmart. But then I remember every generation has a different experience, which means there’s always going to be more stories to tell. Director/co-writer Emma Seligman knew that and went ballistic with this story in the best way possible. The whole setting was so out of pocket which made so much sense because a lot can happen in high school to the point where you stop caring of what goes on around you. That’s where the comedy is at it’s most effective because in only one life you can see so much unfold. The biggest laughs I lost my marbles over were from the girls themselves participating in the club. A no holds barred club fight club is not the first thing I would choose to cope with personal issues, but everyone thinks differently and I respect that. The chemistry they build is genuine because they share the goal in being stronger versions of themselves. The reason I laugh comes from how different their energy is from one another. Summer Joy Campbell had me falling off my chair because she was so riled as Sylvie I couldn’t contain my own laughter. Despite all the aggression she lets out, she still has a good heart. I’m just surprised how she and the others kept it together after killing Huntington High or as she would say ‘slay’ because I don’t think I would once a sword gets involved. Zamani Wilder was cool as Annie because despite having the most sass compared to the cheerleaders, she holds it down bringing solidarity. Virginia Tucker may have made Stella-Rebecca a bit ditsy, but at least she’s got good intentions as well when wanting to resolve her stalker issues. While those ladies provide the most laughs, this film works overall for telling viewers you are fine just the way you are and it’s never too late to prove doubters wrong, but don’t forget who you are while you’re at it. This is a strong message that’s beautifully expressed thanks to the rest of the cast who make this experience positively memorable. (Co-writer) Rachel Sennott & Ayo Edebiri were the pair I didn’t think I ever needed to see until I did, which says a lot because they played off each other so well as if they were meant to be friends. PJ & Josie are definitely a dynamic duo because even though they share similar intentions, their mindsets are where they’re at their most different. PJ came off like a loose cannon because of how determined she was to get what she wanted which was getting the dream girl, and that’s where you respect her because Sennott embraces insane will because whether it’s love or just being horny, well do anything to succeed. You still feel bad for her when Brittany turns her down because rejection is a common feeling that’s terrible to go through. And I don’t blame her for pursuing the cheerleader due to her beauty, but then again, Kaia Gerber showed there was more than what met the eye when sharing she had her own personal business. She brought conviction to the group which helps her fit in with them and she sure as hell embraced it when taking action in the end. While it backfired, it didn’t seem like it was too late to seek love. Without even trying, I think PJ still scored when it came to Hazel. The whole time, she picks on her being a loner outside the group, but that is deeply the reason she likes her all along. And Ruby Cruz showed she is one who deserves respect for wanting to fit in, since her move to reach out to other girls an unofficial cofounder to the group. Like us, she wasn’t expecting to be kissed by PJ, but she seemed to appreciate it because she felt noticed in the right ways instead of wrong for once. Off of that, I hope they figure things out. Now Edebiri on the other hand shows Josie to be a polar opposite to PJ because even though they share a goal, she came off more self conscious in comparison because she only came up with the club to avoid expulsion and wasn’t planning to score with Isabel until PJ pitches it. She’s so in love with her as she expresses because she feels like she relates to being misunderstood, which is ironically what we get to see when paying attention to Havana Rose Lou’s performance. Seeing her show herself to be more kind instead of a stereotypical mean girl was a relief because it showed there’s always more under the surface. Since things worked out for them by the end, I hope their relationship lasts longer than they anticipate. It’s hard to like any guy in this since Tim & Jeff are so snarky attention whores, which was comedically well played by both Miles Fowler & Nicholas Galitzine respectively. It makes it only a miracle that Mr G is a chill guy. I expect nothing less when being played by football icon Marshawn Lynch. Lynch was a treat the whole time as Mr G because he naturally takes an interest in the club because he needed a distraction from his personal issues that was his divorce. With such a troubling situation, he felt emotionally disconnected and started thinking all women were bad, but his remind with the club helped him cope with that’s far from true. Had it not been for taking a simple chance, his head still wouldn’t be as clear as it would be by the end of it. The only issue I had with this story by the end of it was PJ not setting up the tardy rule on the first day instead of the second. They would’ve felt legit if she got strict on the day. Other than that, this was an absolute blast. To wrap up, Bottoms is arguably the best comedy of 2023 for nailing the high school satire all around. If that’s the kind of film you love, check this out soon.
Comments