BOTTOMS: Blu-ray Edition
(Check out Chris Reed’s movie review of Bottoms, out on Blu-ray now from Kino Lorber. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
Emma Seligman’s sophomore feature, Bottoms, was among my favorite films of 2023. The queer high-school comedy with a penchant for outrageous violence took a no-holds-barred approach to its narrative, following two young lesbian women whose plan for their senior year is to hook up with cheerleaders via a fight club they create. Bawdy jokes and bloody gags ensue.
Lead actress Rachel Sennott—who starred in Seligman’s debut, Shiva Baby, as well—co-wrote the movie with the director. Both she and Ayo Edebiri (The Sweet East), in the other main part, headline a raucous ensemble that references and spoofs every previous teen-movie trope, producing a narrative both unique and universal. And now it’s out on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber for all to enjoy.
The disc comes with not one, but two commentary tracks, The first is a conversation with cast members Sennott, Edebiri, Ruby Cruz (The Threesome), Havana Rose Liu (Lurker), and Kaia Gerber (Shell); the second is Seligman narrating on her own. Both offer fascinating (and often entertaining) insights into the filmmaking process. I tend to prefer listening to directors talk about their methods rather than actors, but there is a lot of excellent material in that first track, too (and Sennott is a co-writer, after all, and she and Edebiri improvised much of their dialogue).
There is also a 28-minute behind-the-scenes, making-of documentary that proves especially informative and enjoyable. It includes great interviews with all of the above folks plus additional actors left off the commentary track, among them Nicholas Galitzine (Handsome Devil), who plays the principal antagonist; Miles Fowler (Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead), who plays his henchman; and former professional football player Marshawn Lynch, who plays the fight club’s unwitting coach. The result is a terrific mix of points of views that enhances our understanding of the movie.
The disc includes a blooper reel, too, plus deleted scenes. The former is not the best (I’m not a fan of modern-day bloopers, anyway, given how often they feel forced), but the latter clips provide context for things mentioned by Seligman about the writing and editing drafts. For example, there is an entire opening sequence that was cut that would otherwise explain details in what is now the intro. It’s funny, but we also don’t need it to appreciate the rest of the movie.
This is a solid pick for anyone’s home collection. The image looks good and the audio is well-mixed. There’s more than enough here to make the acquisition feel worth your while. Then again, I believe in owning physical media. If you do, as well, be sure to pick up Bottoms right away.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
Kino-Lorber; Emma Seligman; Bottoms movie review/Blu ray
Post a Comment
