Every once in a while I see a movie or tv show that makes me think, "Damn it! I can't believe I have gone this long without every seeing this. My life would have been so much better if I had seen it when it came out." (ie. Banshee and The Raid:Redemption). Bottoms is now on that list.
Bottoms is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my life. I will admit that the fact that I am a high school teacher may have made me incredibly biased, but there is nothing I can do about that. As a teacher, I see hundreds of teenagers every day. I know there are many different individuals, cliques and groups and they all have their own unique point of view. And I will tell you right now, I would probably laugh at any comedy that told a story from any teenager's unique point of view, but oh my god, Bottoms is in a class of it's own.
In this case it is told from the point of view of "two ugly, untalented, lesbians" (their words, definitely not mine as the two leads are some of the most talented people on the face of the earth). Early on they establish the joke that any one of those three would not make them unpopular, but being all three has doomed them in high school. It revolves around these two girls starting a "fight club" at school in order to meet other girls. It is incredible!
Because it is from their point of view, there are hilarious portrayals of other groups of teens. It is incredibly funny to see a caricature version of how they see the world. Without giving away any spoilers, the way they perceive the treatment of jocks in the school is absolutely brilliant and hilarious. I still laugh every time I think about the fact that all the football players wear their full uniforms every day at school. Obviously it is over the top satire but as a teacher who often sees this idolization of athletes, it was hysterical. And if you want to get really deep into it, it is also lampooning the idea that athletes are not seen as people. They are just a number on a uniform. Unless you are a player in a cage in a classroom. then you don't even get a jersey... or shirt.
Surprised by that last line? So was I when I saw it. I would have missed it if I blinked but the unexplained caged kid is never even addressed in the movie. It just is there. And there are many things like that. This is the closest to a live action version of the Simpsons that I have ever seen. Just like the Simpsons, I found myself pausing to read every single thing in the background of a scene (and it always pays off) and I had to rewind often to not miss every physical and subtle joke. i honestly think the reason this does not have a better Rotten Tomatoes score is too many people watched this while being distracted by their phone. There are so many subtle gags that I highly recommend paying full attention.
The movie stars Ayo Edebiri, who I already love from the Bear and Bigmouths and Emma Seligman who I had never seen before. Seligman also wrote and directed Bottoms so I will be on the lookout for their next project. OK. Now here is the cherry on top. Marshawn Lynch has a significant role in the movie. He is simply hilarious no matter what he is doing. In this case he is portraying the cartoonist, wise cracking teacher with a filthy mouth.
Has anyone seen this? What did you think? Are there any under the radar funny movies you'd recommend?
