Rachel Sennott (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Seligman) and Ayo Edebiri star as PJ and Josie, two losers who are at the bottom of their high school's social hierarchy. They are both lesbians with crushes on Isabel and Brittany (Havana Rose Liu and Kaia Gerber), two pretty cheerleaders, and they simply do not have a shot. But then, a series of events transpire, and they come up with the idea of starting a self-defense class for the women of the school. They hope that Isabel and Brittany will join, of course, but turns out there are a lot of random girls in the school who want a taste of female empowerment. All of a sudden, they have a female fight club on their hands.
I would like to be clear, this movie is spectacularly dumb. But it is spectacularly dumb in the best way, the way that we love about all high school movies we harbor a nostalgic fondness for. The cast is wonderful, the friendships and heartbreak and unrequited love all feels earned and true, and there is oh so much adolescent queer angst. But also, there is a lot of over-the-top violence and bloodshed, and a diabolical plot with a rival high school that certainly escalates to extreme levels.
Bottoms is a thoroughly entertaining and raunchy ride that is almost exclusively about women and written and directed by women. The most significant male characters are the douchey quarterback, Jeff (played hilarious by Nicholas Galitzine, who was just playing a very prim and proper prince in Red, White & Royal Blue), and Mr. G, played by Marshawn Lynch, who does a wonderful job as the teacher who serves as the club's advisor and starts to get really into feminism as he learns more about the struggle to be a teenage girl. Also, this movie is only 88 minutes long and has a blooper reel over the end credits. Seriously, how could it not be worth your time?
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