Bottoms Blu-ray Review

Presented in 2.39:1 and encoded in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC, the Blu-ray delivers a crisp, polished image sourced from a 4K digital intermediate. Shot on Arri Alexa, the transfer exhibits highly dynamic contrast with intensely bright whites and deep, true blacks, yielding appreciable depth and a clean, cinematic sheen. Fine detail is consistently strong—fabric textures, hair, and facial pores read with striking clarity—while image stability and density are excellent. Colors are lush and saturated, imbuing scenes with lively energy without tipping into oversaturation.

A few darker sequences reveal slightly soft or flatter background information, likely tied to capture characteristics and the SDR 1080p presentation rather than a mastering flaw; nevertheless, shadow detail remains visible and well-controlled. The overall presentation is sharp, vibrant, and defect-free, offering a healthy, dynamic representation of the film’s visual design. (Region A locked)

The Blu-ray supplies two lossless options—English DTS‑HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS‑HD Master Audio 2.0—plus optional English SDH subtitles that render inside the image frame. The presentation suggests an all‑digital production, with the 5.1 mix delivering clean, well‑prioritized dialogue and a broad, spacious front soundstage. Midrange clarity is distinct, with layered ambient activity panning convincingly across the three front channels and into off‑screen space. Surrounds are engaged for crowd ambience and set‑piece flourishes with solid directionality, though activity is scene‑dependent rather than constant. Dynamics are disciplined and largely dialogue/music‑forward; while the film isn’t action‑heavy, peaks are handled cleanly without distortion, drop‑outs, or artifacts.

Music is the standout: needle drops (including Bonnie Tyler, Avril Lavigne, and Charli XCX’s Party 4 U) and the score by Charli XCX and Leo Birenberg exhibit crisp highs and appreciable warmth, filling the stage with rich, detailed energy. Bass is accurately responsive and adds weight when called upon—particularly during brief explosive moments—giving the subwoofer intermittent but satisfying engagement. Overall, the 5.1 track offers a polished, contemporary sound design with precise dialogue, engaging musical presence, and competent surround support, while the included 2.0 stereo track provides a clean alternative for simpler setups. Subtitles are optional and positioned within the active picture area.

A well-rounded extras package delivers strong context and replay value. Two distinct commentaries (director-focused and a lively cast roundtable moderated by Gillian Wallace Horvat) pair with a substantive making-of, six substantive deleted scenes, outtakes, and the trailer. Video supplements are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo; most are in English without subtitles.

Extras included in this disc:

• Commentary with Director Emma Seligman: Production, story, performances, and process.
• Cast Commentary: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber; moderated by Gillian Wallace Horvat.
• Ride Along: The Making of Bottoms: 28:19 featurette with interviews and BTS footage.
• Deleted Scenes: “Lobotomy” (2:52), “Extended Bedroom Scene” (2:54), “Tim Confronts PJ and Josie” (1:11), “Tim Discovers Lobotomy” (0:22), “Tim Manipulates Hazel” (1:32), “Pineapple Juice Tackle” (2:36).
• Outtakes: 8:50 of flubs and alternate beats.
• Trailer: 2:18 theatrical preview.

Emma Seligman’s Bottoms (2023) is a brisk, 91-minute high school farce that weaponizes vulgarity and absurdist violence to satirize teen-movie tropes. Co-written with star Rachel Sennott, it follows unpopular seniors PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) who found a faux “self-defense” fight club—really a scheme to attract cheerleaders—only to spark a chaotic, blood-splattered reset of their school’s social order. The film’s heightened reality pushes raunch and brutality to cartoonish extremes while flipping genre conventions: female leads drive the wanton scheming; male jocks are fussy, fragile foils. Beneath the gleeful provocation lies a throughline of female friendship and agency, and the script threads flashes of emotional realism through the mayhem.

Performances anchor the chaos. Sennott’s brazen PJ and Edebiri’s anxious Josie share sharp, elastic chemistry; supporting turns from Kaia Gerber, Havana Rose Liu, Nicholas Galitzine, Ruby Cruz, and Miles Fowler amplify the film’s screwball momentum. Marshawn Lynch’s deadpan Mr. G is a prominent presence, with sequences that test boundaries in and out of the classroom; reactions to his contribution range from “revelation” to misfire. Tonally, the film reads as a deliberately offensive, boundary-pushing satire that blends the anarchic spirit of cult comedies with contemporary sensibilities. Some find its episodic structure, rapid-fire vulgarity, and telegraphed plot beats uneven or grating; others praise the cohesion of its outrageous world-building and the sweetness under its savagery. The result is a polarizing but confident genre deconstruction that plays big, loud, and unapologetically crude.

Bottoms lands as a bold, scabrously funny twist on the high school comedy, marrying gleeful anarchy with sharply observed, refreshingly queer coming-of-age beats. Directed by Emma Seligman and co-written with star Rachel Sennott, the brisk 91‑minute feature flips genre tropes with horny, hapless female leads, buoyed by Sennott and Ayo Edebiri’s tight comic rhythm. Nicholas Galitzine’s fragile-footballer turn and Lynch’s scene-stealing support amplify the film’s farcical streak, while flashes of emotional realism keep the chaos grounded. The aggressive tone will be polarizing—some found it insufferable—yet for those aligned with its wavelength, it’s a riotously inventive entry in the teen-comedy lineage.

On Blu-ray, Kino Lorber delivers a well-appointed edition with gorgeous, demo-caliber video and an excellent DTS-HD MA track that handles rapid-fire dialogue, punchy effects, and energetic music cleanly and with impact. The presentation is consistently crisp with strong contrast and color saturation, supporting the film’s heightened style, and the audio mix supplies convincing dynamics without sacrificing clarity. A decent slate of supplements rounds out the package, offering added context for the film’s distinctive approach. While the movie itself may divide, the disc’s top-shelf technical execution and solid extras make this an easy pick for collectors and a strong option for curious newcomers.