BOTTOMS

You wouldn’t think that combining Fight Club with a teen comedy could ever work but during stretches of Bottoms it actually does, even if the film runs out of steam and ideas in the third act.

Let's get this out of the way first: Bottoms is often unbelievable, sometimes feels like a too long drawn out comedy sketch and contains its fair share of batshit crazy scenes. But the film also effortlessly keeps you glued to the screen.

The pictures stretches the definition of female empowerment to its most extreme with a plot that sees two lesbian outcasts start a violent self-defense club in the hope to get laid with some of the participants.

There's no way this premise should work but the script mostly pulls it off, helped by excellent performances of the two leads Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri who both know how to make a sarcastic punchline land.

In fairness, once Bottoms hits the halfway point and the silliness is partly replaced by earnest emotion the movie loses steam and limps towards a finale that is a lot less empowering than it wants to be.

Nevertheless: a film that takes this many risks and delivers plenty of rewards can only be applauded.

release: 2023

director: Emma Seligman

starring: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu