If you get bronchitis for 5+ weeks in the summer, you tend to miss out on a lot, especially if your lung capacity isn’t able to handle raucous laughter. But, as annoying as my summer illness was in dismantling so much of my field-frolicking plans, the one bright, shining light was that I was able to upgrade from #Barbenheimer to a double-header of two female-fronted films led by creatives and actors I really respect. This weekend, I got to experience #BarbieBottoms, and it was glorious.
I actually Bottoms-ed Barbie, since Bottoms run time is only 90 mins and I felt I could assess if I wanted to do the full plunge for another 2 hours for Barbie. And I did! Here’s my review of the experience below:
Bottoms
Bottoms is a teen comedy written by the very hilarious Rachel Sennott and Canadian director Emma Seligman – a reunion from their Shiva Baby collab, which I also loved. The movie also stars Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Ruby Cruz, Nicholas Galitzine, and…former Seahawk’s running back Marshawn Lynch (yup!). As soon as I heard about this movie many months ago, I knew it was going to be awesome. And it was.
The plot revolves around two, queer best friends – Josie and P.J. – who start a female fight club (*ahem* self-defense club) in a ploy to meet girls, specifically their two cheerleader crushes. As you can imagine, things get pretty crazy right from the hop as the punches start flying. Even watching alone, I laughed out loud many, many times, primarily from Ayo Edebiri’s amazing, casual delivery, which I have missed since seeing her small role as Hattie in Dickinson (which she also wrote for.) I highly recommend! Check out the trailer below:
Barbie
I’m sure enough has been written about this movie, but in case you haven’t seen it and I’m the last person to get you over the line – you should. Much has been said about how it’s “not the movie you expect”, but having had some of the plot trickled down through Twitter, that might not be the case anymore. It is certainly a movie of substance and uses the lens of Barbieland – a matriarchal society – countered against The Real World to explore societal structures. It really does run the gamut of light, dark, and everything in between. Bright, colourful costuming and set design also combine to make a unique aesthetic that is sure to draw you in beyond the acting and storyline. And, as a side note, having seen Margot Robbie’s first North American role in the short-lived Pan Am (which also starred Christina Ricci who is having a resurgence through Yellowjackets!), I am so thrilled for her continued success. She really is magic as Barbie and – ironically – takes on the most human of journeys.
