The summer of 2023 exposed audiences to numerous out-of-the-box, female-led comedy movies, including No Hard Feelings (2023), Theater Camp (2023), Joy Ride (2023), and of course, Barbie (2023). After a slate of such innovative comedy films, it’s only right to close out the season with the “horniest, bloodiest high school movie of the 21st century.” Starring up-and-coming comedy stars Ayo Edibiri and Rachel Sennott, the latter of whom penned the film alongside director Emma Seligman, Bottoms (2023) is a 92-minute inducer of loud laughs and uncertain gasps, in the unapologetic comedy style that Gen-Z women do so well. 

Originally friends and collaborators at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Seligman, Sennott, and Edibiri are a comedy power team to be watched. While they were still students at NYU Tisch, Seligman and Sennott began work on the concept of Bottoms, as well as filming Seligman’s thesis short film, Shiva Baby (2018), starring Rachel Sennott. After graduation, Seligman and Sennott teamed up to turn the short into a feature, releasing Shiva Baby (2020), Seligman’s debut feature film.

Audiences may recognize Rachel Sennott from Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and The Idol (2023). Audiences may also recognize Ayo Edibiri, the comedian and actress taking over Hollywood, from impressive titles such as Abbott Elementary (2021), Theater Camp (2023), and The Bear (2022), the last of which has led to a 2024 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. 

Centering on two dorky high school lesbians, PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Edibiri), who form a female fight club to sleep with their cheerleader crushes, Bottoms pushes the boundaries of what is considered fair play for modern comedy movies. Featuring comical references to serious topics such as suicide, sexual assault, and homophobia, Seligman challenges the common criticism that feminist and LGBTQ+ media can only include what is politically correct. Seligman blends these shocking additions, which prompt some awkward moments in the theater, with a film that is feminist and queer-focused at its core. 

Seligman also challenges the tropes and traditions of the typical “high school movie” to the point of satire, creating a meta film with minor hints of magical realism. For example, the football players in the film remain in bulky uniforms at all times, as do the football players in the classic “high school movie,” but Seligman pushes the satire a bit further, placing the teammates at a lunch table resembling the last supper. Other criticized tropes include the comically short class periods in films, where the bell seems to ring minutes after the class begins, and the portrayal of the sports-fame hungry, evil principal. 

Being that Bottoms is only the second feature by director Emma Seligman, there were minor story-based and acting oversights in the film. In multiple shots, a speaking background character’s mouth does not line up with the dialogue, and a few plot points seemed thrown in rather than purposeful and integrated, such as Jeff’s initial threats that never progressed, and the seemingly random inclusion of PJ and Josie’s babysitter, Rhodes (Punkie Johnson). However, it felt difficult to fully criticize these issues with the film, as they all seemed to be made up for with hysterical humor and dialogue. Would Punkie Johnson’s scene have hit harder if audiences understood her place in the story? Sure. Was she still hilarious and memorable? Absolutely. 

The comedy acting in this film was genuinely next-level. Most surprising was Marshawn Lynch, who played the students’ social studies teacher, Mr. G, and completely stole the show, as well as the pre-credit bloopers, with his natural charm and humor. Lynch initially took the role in an attempt to recorrect his relationship with his queer sister, who he regrets not supporting earlier. Nicholas Galitzine, who played the antagonistic quarterback, Jeff, was also a wild and welcomed surprise of comedy power; the level of commitment he had to such a specific and unabashedly bizarre character was seriously impressive. Galitzine was also fresh off the premiere of the Amazon Prime romance, Red White and Royal Blue (2023), at the time of Bottoms’ release, in which he plays a character that could not be more different than the All-American, definitely unhinged, Jeff. Havana Rose Liu and Ruby Cruz were also impressive, fresh faces in the film, though supermodel Kaia Gerber failed to deliver the originality and commitment of her costars. 

Bottoms is the kind of film that makes you want to buy another movie ticket the second the credits role. The future comedic material from Emma Seligman, Rachel Sennott, and Ayo Edibiri is something to be anxiously anticipated, as are the future roles from surprising stars Marshawn Lynch and Nicholas Galitzine. I highly recommend this film to the young people of America, because clearly, “there’s a real lack of female solidarity at this school.” 

 Score: 4 out of 5