1/5
Rachel Sennot (left) and Ayo Adebiri below. Photo courtesy of ORION Pictures Inc.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Female-friendly teen comedies like Booksmart and Joy Ride are thankfully on the rise. So Friday in theaters Niz must already increase the shock value and the film has been released on its own. PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Adebiri) are unpopular high school girls. After an argument with soccer player Jeff (Nicolas Galitzen), rumors quickly spread that they are tough girls who learned to fight at the youth gym.
To avoid being expelled for fighting at school, the girls offer their principal (Wayne Parr) a martial arts club. The club soon became known as their fight club, but it helped bring the students together and did some good.
Director Emma Seligman, who co-wrote "Bottom" with Sennett, sets the satirical tone that comes from the included episodes. The social subtext is exposed to an absurd degree.
Rumors have come up in every generation in high school, but to spread so openly in a matter of minutes is ridiculous. Everyone is judged or classified by their appearance, but Nizhov considers this phenomenon as an official position.
What is not satirical is Josie and PJ's honest portrayal of gay teenagers. They are charming and familiar fans like them.
Feeling like a failure in high school isn't just for ordinary boys and girls. In high school, everyone felt like a loser — or at least the popular ones didn't watch high school comedies or always care about being the bad guy in loser-oriented movies.
"High School Fight Club" is a pretty outrageous concept, and Seligman executes it quickly and effectively enough to keep Nice's comedy going. Imagine Fight Club in a high school gym and it's half comedy.
Brawl is essentially a physical comedy that can be both funny and understated. Finally, the girls have to fight seriously and the fight is exciting with strong choreography.
Besides the violence, Bottoms has a lot of R-rated language, but it's so childish that it's more absurd than suspenseful. Girls use shame to look mature and show how immature they are.
Each girl has her own program to join the club. PJ aims to score with the rest of the fight club, and Josie really believes in the possibilities. Hazel (Ruby Cruz) is about to beat her rival school.
Cheerleaders Isabelle (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kia Gerber) are tired of being treated like candy by the athletes. They want to have their own business.
Many girls face dark problems such as suicide, bullying and abusive relatives. Once again, Seligman manages to set the tone so that Bottoms doesn't make fun of the problem , but has some fun with the young ones casually discussing a serious injury.
"Addicted" shows that it's possible to do comedy without pretending that violence doesn't exist in real life. It also pokes fun at the idea of feminism and empowerment.
Romance blossoms between the characters. This is also the authentic side of the story. Some of the classmates are genuinely depressed, but others are still straight, and Bottom shows that they're both fine.
Bottom is a funny high school comedy. With its unique school look, it could easily become a cultural attraction like The Breakfast Club, Clueless or Superbad .
Fred Topel, who attended Ithaca College Film School, is an entertainment writer for Los Angeles-based UPI. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012, and a member of the Critics' Choice Association since 2023. Learn more about his work in entertainment.
