In our collective knowledge of fight clubs, a main tenant of their existence is that their members avoid talking about them. They should remain secret in the dark underbelly of a city and in its’ dingy wet basements. Bottoms says no more. Here fight clubs are gleefully bonkers. A place not for macho prospering but female solidarity and release in the form of bloody punches and shin kicks.
Disgruntled at their lack of ability to approach their crushes and being viewed as ‘the ugly, untalented gays’ of the school, Josie (Ayo Edebiri) and PJ (Rachel Sennott), decide what better way to get the blood flowing and temperatures rising than start a female self defence club. As icebreakers go, it is a strong start. Bolstered by a cheeky fib about their stints in juvie, girls both popular and outcasted start turning up wanting to learn defence, ‘I’m going to reverse stalk my stalker’ shouts one, ‘I’m going to kill my stepdad’ shouts another. Reasons vary but all want to see what these two self-proclaimed vicious fighters are made of, however, neither of them has ever been in a fight before. Quickly realising their quest to get laid has landed them in the hottest water, they just decide, why not, and start throwing punches. Thank God they did, as it turns into one of the most gloriously silly and bloodiest comedies of the year.
Emma Seligman’s previous film Shiva Baby (also starring Sennott) was a masterclass in creeping up the tension till the screen cracked, but you won’t find those kinds of stakes in Bottoms. Seligman’s effortlessly creates something completely different in terms of tone, genre, and gag levels, and this is a director who has only made two films so far. Two already offer a portfolio so dynamic and exhilarating is something truly exciting. Though a film so bombastic as this wouldn’t work without a cast that wasn’t game for such hijinks, luckily here no such issues exist. Ayo Edebiri (who’s having a glorious year) steals every moment she’s on screen, channelling a delightfully awkward energy she takes to huge heights, particularly when recounting the time, she may have killed someone in juvie (they were fine though). Rachel Sennott (a co-scriptwriter alongside Seligman) is a firework as the spikier and more confident PJ and the pair of them together are what makes Bottoms so great. Their chemistry as best friends feels so world even in this heightened unserious world where a final battle between school teams involving swords, poisonous pineapple juice and head splitting face kicks, is met with a standing ovation. Kudos must also be given to Nicholas Galitzine’s Jeff, the quarterback who’s treated like a god by student and teacher alike, and whose very facial expressions threaten to steal the entire film in mere seconds.
Bottoms is a rare delight. A raunchy comedy that delivers a cathartic sense of wonder, as the girls celebrate their bruised and bloody noses, they dish out to each other. There’s a subtle subversiveness here that lays under the surface, even when in an act of revenge, the girls egg the house of Jeff whilst Bonnie Tyler serenades their giddy act of rebellion. It’s a moment that summarises the film perfectly, it’s bonkers, unruly, and brilliant.
A Film to Look Forward Too
How to Have Sex – Arriving 3rd November
The story of three British teenage girls on holiday. A rite of passage occasion involving the pulsing light of nightclubs, the hard morning afters, and hooks ups. It should be the best summer of their lives but in the cold light of day nastiness can easily be revealed. This is the debut feature from Molly Manning Walker that has received nothing but praise on the festival circuit so could be signalling another impressive voice in the British film scene. This has been a year of fresh brilliant new voices jumping into British cinema, and it is a wonderful sight indeed.
A Film to Treasure
I Know Where Im Going – Rereleased in Cinemas and Streaming on the BFI Player
The BFI are celebrating the glorious films of Powell and Pressburger so now seems like a wonderful time to sing the praises of I Know Where Im Going. The story of Joan (Wendy Hiller), a headstrong determined lady on the way to see her fiancé in the farthest reaches of Scotland. When weather keeps them apart, she grows closer to Torquil (Roger Livesy), a soldier on holiday from the war and the destinations they set out for each other may turn out very different indeed. It’s a warming tonic to the cold winter months that bristles with love and has one of the greatest cinematic rugs pulls.