The 2000s had some comedies that were vulgar, silly, and quite crude, but they hit the youthful target audience just right. MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes watched a film on Amazon Prime that hits this same mark, but is much more modern.
Which film is it? The film Bottoms was released in 2023 and is a comedy that satirically deals with well-known high school tropes. The two lesbian students, PJ and Josie, who represent classic losers, are the main characters of the film. Through absurd incidents, the two start a self-defense class, which is more like a fight club, to get closer to the cheerleaders.
Bottoms is, as you can guess from the premise, not a delicate or elegant film. The film is silly and extremely vulgar. The familiar high school tropes are parodied to the extent that at one point I thought the movie was an R-rated version of something like High School Musical.
You can get a first look at the film here:
Disney Channel for Adults
Bottoms is a satire about high school clichés. The world in Bottoms is absolutely exaggerated. The many students seem like blueprints from the cliché box, and especially the football players and the holy quarterback are an absurd highlight. The star player of the school is almost worshipped like a god, and in the cafeteria, he sits like Jesus with his disciples.
The clichés are the perfect contrast to the two protagonists, who are the classic losers but are portrayed as the only normal ones
while watching. The silly situations go so far that I was also reminded of something like Scary Movie.
The fight club is pure fun, because instead of learning real
self-defense, they just hit each other.
You shouldn’t expect intelligent jokes here, but the film never pretends that you should expect such things.
The many Disney Channel clichés are taken to the extreme at the end when the rival high school wants to get revenge on the players, going beyond insults.
For crude and vulgar content, you can also check out this series: A new series on Amazon is the next good video game adaptation – It’s a mix of Fallout and Mad Max
Despite the Dark Humor, There Are Important Themes
Bottoms also addresses socially relevant themes. Just the two protagonists are a big contrast to other female roles in such films. They portray the pubescent losers
that are usually played by men.
Topics such as sexual harassment, homophobia, or feminism are also addressed. This is never done subtly, but it fits perfectly with the vulgar film.
When the female students talk about their problems, the teacher interrupts them with: Guys, I’m getting divorced
or Men need therapy too
. This shows in a comedic way how women’s issues are often related to men or interrupted directly.
Unlike in other films, this feels organic in Bottoms. Bottoms never tries to tug at the heartstrings or make the mood more serious, and I really liked that. Nothings seems out of place because of that.
I had a lot of fun with Bottoms. This is due to the fights, but also to the social themes. However, one shouldn’t expect a deep exploration here. Not everyone will enjoy the comedic aspects. But if you miss American Pie and want to see a more modern version of something like it, you will have fun with Bottoms. If you want to poke fun at Generation Y, you should check this out: The new film “Old Dads” on Netflix is ideal for everyone who hates 30-year-olds
