On the weekend of Sept. 1, the highly anticipated slice-of-life comedy film “Bottoms” was released nationally in theaters. Within only a few weeks of being released, it’s become one of the most talked-about films on movie review forums such as Letterboxd, where it’s accumulated over 38k five-star reviews in just a week.
Some reviews are calling it “gay ‘Fight Club’” and others are calling it “the best whimsical satire on feminism and the harms of patriarchy since Barbie,” credit to Reece on Letterboxd for the second review. The bottom line is the film is mostly being hailed for its snarky writing, lovable characters and masterful story on queer relationships meshed with the struggles of being a high school student.
Of course “Bottoms'' isn't the first film to delve into such topics, but it’s different in its execution. There’s been plenty of films that explore queer relationships, however many movie critics and people in the LGBTQIA+ community have been pretty vocal about their distaste for certain projects, such as “Call Me By Your Name,” and “Jenny’s Wedding,” where audiences compare those films’ representation as more stereotypical, or more unnecessarily sexualized to “appeal'' to straight audiences rather than be a heartfelt queer story.
Many organizations have made lists dividing queer films with good versus bad representation and films that may not have a plot focused on queer issues, but still have queer characters present, and compare how they do it correctly versus incorrectly, such as an Insider article on nine major films that got their queer representation completely wrong. They highlight films that may not have been intentionally homophobic or transphobic but portray openly queer characters in ways disrespectful to the queer community.
Films like “Zoolander 2,” or “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective '' that feature trans characters are just two that are covered in Insider’s list for their disrespectful portrayal of transgender people. While those films were both released upwards of ten years ago now, it’s important for many queer people to keep in mind that those films are still being showcased on streaming services and are recommended despite their shortcomings. Many people are disappointed that filmmakers still need to be held accountable for their lackluster representation, and when “Bottoms'' was announced, people were hopeful that it would change the narrative.
Many films like the ones mentioned in Insider’s article fall because of how out of touch they seem like they are trying to appeal to the LGBTQIA+ community without any idea of how people in the community act. In turn, the community feels misrepresented, and then people outside of the community get a warped idea of how queer people act.
Luckily, many reviewers agree that “Bottoms'' delivered good queer representation that worked to show audiences what it was really like being a queer high school student. The story is crafted in such a way that while it does have raunchy moments, it’s respectable and relatable to the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s not reliant on community stereotypes or outdated use or slurs, rather it’s just genuinely funny. Its sarcastic writing feels natural, rather than something awkward and out of touch.
If you haven’t set aside time to see a wholesome yet raunchy comedy “Bottoms” in theaters today, I highly recommend it. It’s a perfect story that I believe shows filmmakers how to correctly write a queer story, and how to do it without stereotypes and outdated terminology. I believe this film will stand the test of time and become a modern masterclass in queer comedy.
Mia Ashby is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Mia by emailing her at ma237419@ohio.edu.
