Bottoms (2023)
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Two high school girls start a fight club as a way to hook up with cheerleaders.
The story
Best friends PJ and Josie are unpopular lesbian virgins at football-obsessed Rockbridge Falls High School. After failing to flirt with their crushes, the popular cheerleaders, they are forced to concoct a lie to avoid expulsion after a misunderstanding involving the school's star quarterback. They claim to have started a feminist 'self-defense club' to explain their actions. With the help of a friend, they establish the club with the secret motive of attracting girls. They even convince their history teacher to serve as the required advisor, while the club's 'lessons' begin to draw in more members, including the very cheerleaders they hoped to impress.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
PJ and Josie, two unpopular girls at Rockbridge Falls High School, start a 'self-defense club' to explain why they were seen in a car with the star quarterback. The club becomes a hit, attracting cheerleaders Brittany and Isabel, who participate in 'lessons' involving physical altercations. While the girls grow closer, tensions rise as the truth about their motives and the quarterback's situation circulate. After a series of escalating events, including a car explosion and a public breakup, the girls are forced to confront their lies. During a high-stakes pep rally, their true motives are exposed, leading to a fallout with their friends and teacher. However, they eventually reunite to stop a plot by a rival school to harm the quarterback. In a final brawl against the rival team, they successfully protect the quarterback, and the girls finally find connection with each other and their peers.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Emma Seligman
- Writers
- Emma Seligman · writer; Rachel Sennott · writer
- Cast and characters
- Rachel Sennott · PJ; Ayo Edebiri; Ruby Cruz; Havana Rose Liu
- Genres
- satirical black comedy; comedy; sex comedy
- Themes
- female empowerment; queer identity; solidarity
- Tone and mood
- satirical; campy; absurd
- Setting
- Rockbridge Falls High School, a football-obsessed American high school.
- Premise and plot tags
- high school; fight club; romance
- Reception
- The film received largely positive reviews from film critics, with some praising its unique take on the high school comedy genre.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 46; PostTrak · score: 93% · scale: 100%
- Awards and nominations
- GLAAD Media Award · Outstanding Film – Wide Release · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by a 'campy queer high school comedy' aesthetic.; The script originally included a 'militaristic boot camp' for the characters.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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