Bottoms doesn’t quite reach the top

I was back again at my favourite cinema, The Sun Theatre in Yarraville. This week’s viewing was the high school comedy Bottoms.  Written by Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott and also directed by Emma Seligman, Bottoms is the story of two unpopular high school students Josie (Ayo Edebiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennott) who start a female fight club at their high school in order to become more popular and pique the interest of their respective crushes Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber).

There were plenty of laughs throughout the film, particularly from Sennott and Edebiri as they perform well as the film’s awkward and “untalented” leads. They are supported well by Havana Rose Liu who brings great depth to her performance and by Kaia Gerber, who is well cast as the attractive and vapid Brittany. The rest of the fight club also give memorable performances to complete the girl gang and although their characters are generally one note and only there to fulfil a single purpose, they are all given their moments to shine throughout.

The success of the movie does fall mainly on the two leads and they carry that burden well. It is a specific type of humour that might not be everyone’s cup of tea but the movie has something that everyone will enjoy. Whether it’s the clever dialogue, slapstick comedy, silly comedy from the school’s football team or the subtle background laughs, the movie doesn’t fail to give everyone a good laugh.

Generally, the story is predictable with all the obligatory struggles and confusion that come with most teen high school comedies but Seligman and Sennott provide fresh twists on the teen comedy with their overarching themes of feminism and acceptance and some moments that would definitely not be permitted in a real school. 

Overall, Bottoms is enjoyable with plenty of laughs. The story isn’t unique by any means but does provide a twist on the usual high school rom coms we’ve seen before. If you’re up for an enjoyable and easy watch, Bottoms is definitely worth a watch.