Critics’ reviews

Bottoms (2023)

27 reviews from 27 publications. Critics’ score 76: 13 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative.

Back to our review of Bottoms

76
Positive
13
Mixed
1
Negative
2

Most critics like Bottoms a good deal, and the praise clusters in the same place: the pairing of Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, whose chemistry and timing carry the film even for reviewers who have doubts about the rest. Edebiri in particular is singled out again and again, and several reviews also mention Marshawn Lynch’s supporting turn as a scene-stealer. The comedy is described as absurd, cartoonish and gleefully violent, a parody of the high-school sex film that works best when it goes all in. Reservations are consistent too: the jokes can be broad and uneven, the middle and third acts sag, and a few reviews find the film more conventional underneath than its surface suggests, or thinner on character than on gags. The spread is wider than the average implies. The strongest dissent comes from British papers on the film’s autumn release, with Little White Lies calling it muddled and unearned and The Times finding it amateurish and incoherent.

Slant Magazine
23 August 2023 · ★★★★/4 · Derek Smith
100

The go-for-broke energy makes it an infectious cult comedy with impeccable comic timing from the leads and ensemble, though some jokes are inconsistent and pathos clashes with the tone.

Read the full review →
IndieWire
12 March 2023 · A · Rafael Motamayor
95

The film is hilariously weird and idiosyncratic, a queer teen sex comedy that cements Seligman and Sennott as exciting voices with an absurdist tone and strong action sequences.

Read the full review →
Empire
30 October 2023 · Sophie Butcher
85*

The critic finds Bottoms a hilariously rewarding, ultra-knowing high-school satire that delights in its eccentric, propulsive energy and undercuts tension with jokes. They single out Ayo Edebiri’s standout comedic performance and the fresh, subversive glee in the girls’ fight club violence.

Read the full review →
Vulture
25 August 2023
85*

The jubilant film is an audacious exercise in kamikaze feminism, testing boundaries of taste around empowerment and misogyny while highlighting strong chemistry between the leads and a memorable ensemble.

Read the full review →
The AV Club
25 August 2023 · B+ · Drew Gillis
83

It is a blisteringly funny, gutsy comedy that prioritizes constant laughs and an exaggerated world over tight character work, succeeding as a raucous high-school sex comedy.

Read the full review →
Evening Standard
3 November 2023 · El Hunt
80*

The critic calls the film a weird, wonderful, deeply warped love letter to the high-school movie and a potential left-field breakout comedy. They single out the craftily hidden background jokes and the cast’s comic chops, especially Marshawn Lynch’s scene-stealing turn.

Read the full review →
Radio Times
★★★★ · Molly Moss
80

The critic praises it as a raucously funny and audacious satire of high-school comedies and their tropes. Strong performances from the leads and gleefully dark jokes make it a teen comedy with a difference.

Read the full review →
Little White Lies
3 November 2023 · 4/2/2 · Hannah Strong
40

The critic finds the film a disappointing and muddled follow-up that fails to deliver on its comedic or subversive promise. It becomes a conventional romance padded with undercooked jokes and an unearned bloody finale.

Read the full review →
The i Paper
1 November 2023 · Francesca Steele
40*

The critic finds Bottoms tonally confusing and a bit of a shame, as it tries too hard to refresh the high-school gross-out comedy without quite succeeding. They single out the strong central duo of Sennott and Edebiri and the film’s better smaller, subtler moments.

Read the full review →
Los Angeles Times
24 August 2023 · Katie Walsh

The critic calls it a fiercely funny teen comedy that reimagines high school as a place for female rage, with Seligman savagely satirizing the genre. Sennott and Edebiri deliver two of the funniest performances of the year in an audacious, joke-filled film.

Read the full review →
Screen Daily
17 March 2023 · festival review

The critic finds it somewhat uneven but consistently engaging, taking aim at high-school comedy conventions while offering a twisted look at female empowerment and teen experience.

Read the full review →
Sight and Sound
7 November 2023

The critic calls it a funny and poignant high-school sex comedy that blends absurdity with commentary on trauma, homophobia and queer desire. It occasionally falters in its middle act but succeeds in delivering rare comic bliss when it works.

Read the full review →
The Guardian
2 November 2023

The critic praises the film as a very funny high-school comedy with big laughs and delirious silliness, highlighting the excellent comic presences of leads Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. The plot's violence and incoherence are noted but do not detract from its entertainment value.

Read the full review →
The Hollywood Reporter
12 March 2023 · festival review · Lovia Gyarkye

The critic finds the film sharply made but not as smart as it should be. It praises the leads' chemistry and performances while noting it lacks depth, vulnerability, and meaningful foundation beyond the jokes.

Read the full review →
The New York Times
24 August 2023 · Elisabeth Vincentelli

The critic finds the comedy takes off with tires screeching as two high-school outcasts start a fight club to attract cheerleaders. It ultimately fizzes out but confirms Seligman and Sennott as major new forces in American comedy.

Read the full review →
The Times
3 November 2023 · ★★☆☆☆ · Kevin Maher

The critic finds the film a disappointingly ham-fisted and amateurish high-school comedy that jettisons narrative clarity for incoherence. While noting Edebiri as a winning presence, it criticizes the overall execution and lack of understanding of the genre.

Read the full review →
Variety
12 March 2023 · festival review · Owen Gleiberman

The critic praises the brazenly gonzo high-school comedy as a wild ride that is a satire of victimization, violence, and itself, with a teasing humanity. It is a more confident work than Seligman’s debut and a movie of outrageously forward-looking talent, though it may not be for everyone.

Read the full review →
Digital Spy
27 January 2024 · Mireia Mullor
90*

The review calls it the best sex comedy of 2023, a ludicrous and queer take on high school tropes that revels in unhinged humor and female rage, channeling classics like Heathers and But I'm a Cheerleader.

Read the full review →
Collider
24 August 2023 · B+ · Ross Bonaime
83

The critic calls Bottoms one of the most absurd and hysterical teen comedies in years and an excellent parody of the high school movie genre. They single out the lead performances by Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott for praise.

Read the full review →
The Playlist
12 March 2023 · B · Jason Bailey
77

The critic notes it's broader and sillier than Shiva Baby, wildly funny and delightfully subversive once on its wavelength, praising the comedy team of Sennott and Edebiri and the supporting cast, though it falters slightly in the third act.

Read the full review →
/Film
12 March 2023 · 7.5/10 · Erin Brady
75

The critic calls it a chaotic sapphic fever dream that captures the weirdness of queerness, praising the ensemble cast and witty script, but notes it can feel predictable.

Read the full review →
The Wrap
21 August 2023 · Tomris Laffly
75*

The critic calls it a zippy yet broad follow-up that renews the spirit of raunchy teen humor with an abundantly fresh sense of wackiness, though the writing can feel broad compared to the director's debut. It singles out the insightful scene between the leads for grasping the complexities of female friendships amid the film's celebration of female rage and drive.

Read the full review →
Polygon
31 August 2023 · Petrana Radulovic
70*

The critic finds Bottoms a playful satire of raunchy high school sex comedies that excels when it goes full throttle but occasionally falls into the same problematic dynamics it mocks. They single out the over-the-top parody elements and strong chemistry between the leads for praise.

Read the full review →
Deadline
12 March 2023 · festival review · Valerie Complex
65*

The critic finds the film fun and important for allowing women to be raunchy but notes issues with the script's handling of themes and its tendency to just let events happen without deeper exploration. It praises the leads' chemistry and Seligman's fearless direction while acknowledging the director still has room to grow.

Read the full review →
Den of Geek
17 March 2023 · 4 out of 5 · David Crow

The critic praises the film's subversive, absurd high-concept comedy about queer teens starting a fight club, highlighting its originality and cartoonish glee compared to more realistic teen films.

Read the full review →
Film Stories
3 November 2023 · Maria Lattila

The critic describes it as a raucous high-school comedy that is surprisingly conventional but still manages to be funny and enjoyable, praising the cast especially Ayo Edebiri for grounding the film, though it could have pushed its jokes further.

Read the full review →
Paste
25 August 2023 · 8.0 · Aurora Amidon

The critic hails Bottoms as a delightfully ridiculous comedy unafraid of pushing boundaries and delivering bloody gags and bold punchlines. They single out the stellar ensemble cast, particularly the leads' chemistry and Marshawn Lynch's supporting turn, for praise.

Read the full review →

Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate