Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott are quickly becoming the next great power duo of American cinema, a Scorsese and De Niro for the chaotic and queer. In 2020, the pair was set to premiere their feature debut, Shiva Baby, to SXSW audiences. Following the festival’s cancellation, their Jewish panic attack of a comedy went on to take the indie world by storm. Now, in a full circle moment, their sophomore feature is one of the most hotly anticipated premieres of this year’s edition. Needless to say, you can believe the hype: the next great teen comedy is here, it’s queer, and its name is Bottoms.
Working on a much larger scale but in a much different direction, Seligman and Sennott have taken their brand of unabashed awkwardness and razor-sharp wit to high school. Sennott co-stars with rising star Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) as PJ and Josie, two high school seniors who are desperate to hook-up with their high school crushes. However, after a light brush with a beloved football captain is taken out of proportion, the two begin a “women’s self-defense class” in order to avoid being expelled. What begins as a meager excuse quickly transforms into an empowering female fight club, but to expand on any more of this uproarious farce would spoil its beautiful, hilarious surprises.
Channeling classics like Mean Girls and But I’m a Cheerleader, Bottoms fits comfortably into the pantheon it is pastiching. However, Seligman and Sennott have written a story that is so hilariously and earnestly on-the-pulse that it has updated the genre for a modern, intersectional audience in a big way. The film’s diverse cast, both in terms of race and sexuality, feels like an honest reflection of high schools today, and the film’s ridiculous sense of humor does nothing to undermine any of its beautifully realized characters. Sennott’s effortless comic persona is in full effect as PJ, but Edebiri is singular as Josie; gawky and goofy but endlessly endearing. To say there are stand-outs in the rest of this ensemble would be to undermine each member’s unique contributions, from Kaia Gerber’s dry and pointed Brittany to Ruby Cruz’s chill but selfless Hazel.
One of the reasons Seligman smashed onto the scene was her command of every technical facet of her storytelling. Shiva Baby, a tightly wound exercise in claustrophobia, utilized every visual and sonic tool at its disposal. Bottoms is similar but for far different purposes, proving Seligman’s range as a filmmaker. Though the film’s cinematography is relatively understated, perhaps that is by design. After all, there is so much more to flaunt: raucous stunt choreography, colorful costume design, an inspired electronic score (co-written by Charli XCX in what feels like a match made in heaven), and the list goes on. Every cinematic ingredient has intention and it all works together to create a streamlined visual identity that lets the outrageous writing shine first and foremost. After all, that’s what we came to see.
None of this is to say Bottoms doesn’t succumb to trope. There are times where it feels like an even more subversive comedy would do away with some of the film’s cliches. However, this is not a film looking to rise above its origins, but rather embrace them. Seligman and Sennott don’t just do familiar montages, they lean in with early-2000’s needle drops and laugh-a-minute visual gags. It is this commitment to the bit, this explosive desire to entertain in the silliest way possible, that makes Bottoms the success that it is. It is a no-holds-barred explosion of personality from two filmmakers who are ready to tell familiar stories in their own image, and the fun is nothing short of infectious. Lord knows what these two will come up with next, but the whole world will be watching.
Bottoms had its World Premiere in the Headliners section of SXSW 2023.
Director: Emma Seligman
Writer: Emma Seligman, Rachel Sennott
Rated: NR
Runtime: 92m
Gloriously absurd and hilariously on-the-pulse, 'Bottoms' is a new teen comedy classic in the making.
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GVN Rating 8.5
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Larry Fried is a filmmaker, writer, and podcaster based in New Jersey. He is the host and creator of the podcast “My Favorite Movie is…,” a podcast dedicated to helping filmmakers make somebody’s next favorite movie. He is also the Visual Content Manager for Special Olympics New Jersey, an organization dedicated to competition and training opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the Garden State.