The last few years have seen a wave of great re-imaginings of queer films. Gentle teenage horror Body, body, body (2022); Kristen Stewart Christmas movie Happiest Season (2021); This year’s amazingly crazy romantic comedy Red, white and royal bluein which the main characters are the son of an American president and the eldest grandson of the king of England.
It takes the ability to freshen up a tired genre while still keeping pace without feeling completely distracted, and it’s a special sign of cultural progress to give queerness a place not only in ambitious, award-winning films, but also in supposedly more modest films. . but a lot of things – I also loved genre things.
Bottom it’s director and co-writer Emma Seligman’s attempt to do the same with a high school movie and a gross-out comedy. It’s a bit of a strange mixture very bad-meets-American cake-meets-Mean Girls, with David Fincher thrown in for good measure. The film has great acting and some standout sequences, but it never quite reaches the heights of the films it aims to emulate (though the film apparently did well in the US, grossing over $10 million at the box office).
Gay Best Friends, PJ (Rachel Sennott, actress and comedian, best known for her roles in Body, body, body and HBO Idol) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri, in Bear) are desperate to lose their virginity before graduation. Unfortunately, they say they’re hated for being “gay, ugly and untalented,” so it doesn’t look like they’ll fit in with cheerleaders Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber, daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford). ) was in love. will pay off, especially since Isabelle has a relationship with Jeff, a brainless bully and jock (Nicholas Golitsyn, also in Red, white and royal blue).
Until they came up with the idea of opening a self-defense club for girls at school, which attracts both fitness nerds and pretty girls. It quickly drops to one Fight club– seems like a farce and even gives Josie a good chance to connect with Isabelle.
Sennott and Edebiri are a strong duo. In particular, Sennott, who also co-wrote the script, has a great sense of comic timing. But too many of the jokes try too hard (do we really need a director who says, “Just stay in your lane until you fail, Wesley style”?), and too often it feels like someone made a better decision to convey feminist message. , have to deal with the most outdated parts of the world American cake. Bottom is not subtle. Girls can be horny! it screams. Bloodlust is fun! And empowerment! (But is it?)
As the film draws to a close, it devolves into an absurd carnage worthy of early Peter Jackson. It’s not terrible, just tonally confusing and a little embarrassing.
Like his most consistent school predecessors Bottom is at its best in small moments, in one-off lines (the lanky, gorgeous Gerber is especially funny when she casually puts aside her amorous pajama outfits) and when it gives the characters time to bond.