The 2023 film “Bottoms” is a self-ascribed satirical, dark comedy. While I enjoyed the film’s soundtrack and some of its exaggerated acting, it felt like a letdown, despite garnering much publicity since its release.

Directed by Emma Seligman and co-written with Rachel Sennott, the film centers around two high-school girls, PJ and Josie, played by Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, as they attempt to get the attention of their crushes, Isabel (Havanna Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber). After Josie gets into an altercation with Isabel’s boyfriend Jeff, the football team’s hero, Josie claims this was part of their self-defense club, prompting PJ to create a fight club. They use the fight club as a way to get their crushs’ attention. Eventually, the truth comes out, and the club disbands, the pair feeling betrayed. 

While I appreciate having flawed main characters, PJ just seemed completely unlikable for the majority of the movie. I couldn’t tell if we were supposed to be rooting for her or not. The friendship dynamic between PJ and Josie was overdone and frankly, frustrating. PJ was domineering, and Josie often felt forced to go along with whatever she said. “Bottoms” really played into satirical aspects, making many of the characters seem like over-exaggerated versions of stereotypical high schoolers. You have two “weird girls,” the dumb jocks and a principal who doesn’t care about anything other than football. For a movie with such a wide array of characters, it feels bizarre to focus on two girls who are just desperate to have sex in high school. I found some of the other characters to be far more interesting and easier to root for. 

The film attempts to tackle serious issues with humor, but it just doesn’t work. You can’t make jokes about assault, trauma or underage sex and get away with calling it a “dark comedy,” as the humor isn’t “thought provoking,” like many films of the genre claim to be. PJ and Josie start a club for young girls who are ultimately joining to be part of a community, learn to protect themselves and be vulnerable. Meanwhile, the pair deceives these young women simply to get with their crushes. It makes me extremely uncomfortable. 

“Bottoms” wasn’t all bad, though. About 100 minutes in, it became much more enjoyable. The characters had a moment of growth and reunited after a fight and the cinematography was beautiful. The film even got a little funny near its end. The soundtrack to this movie is amazing, and definitely worth checking out. I will say, the acting is excellent, considering the movie’s exaggerated character types. 

Overall, “Bottoms” wasn’t the comedy I was hoping for. A majority of the characters were unlikable, and the tone just didn’t hit. Perhaps there is a way to make self-defense funny, but this movie isn’t it. The cinematography was great, the music was good and a couple of characters were enjoyable. It could be a good watch for a girls’ night or possibly a Pride movie marathon– I’d just pair it with something else.

If you want to check this movie out, it’s available to rent or buy on Prime Video for $7 and $16.79, respectively. For me, this was a “Bottoms down.”