Summary
- Bottoms features standout needle drops and an electrifying original score by Charli XCX and Leo Birenberg.
- The film's music enhances key scenes, from the high-energy montage with "PAIN" to the explosive finale with "Party 4 U."
- Although no official Bottoms soundtrack is available that features all the songs heard in the film, the Original Motion Picture Score soundtrack is available to stream.
Bottoms included some of the best needle drops of any movie in 2023, and although only a couple of pre-existing songs are actually featured in the movie, each tune more than earns its spot in its given scene. Bottoms is a satirical teen comedy about two "loser" lesbians, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who start a female fight club under the guise of self-defense training, with the secret intention of hooking up with their cheerleader crushes, Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber). Bottoms was directed by Emma Seligman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Sennott.
Sennott also played the lead role in Seligman's feature directorial debut, Shiva Baby, in 2020.
Along with the exceptional direction and writing and the talented cast of Bottoms, the film's music is a major standout element. Composer Leo Birenberg collaborated with pop singer-songwriter Charli XCX to compose the high-energy, synth-soaked original score for Bottoms, marking the latter's feature film score debut. In addition to its unconventional electropop score, Bottoms also features a handful of perfectly timed and brilliantly selected needle drops at key moments in the film. In total, there are only four pre-existing songs that play in full throughout Bottoms, including one track off of Charli XCX's 2020 studio album, How I'm Feeling Now.
Some tracks, like the opener, "Yes No Okay," or the titular "BOTTOMS" that plays during the fight scene on the football field, include minimal vocals from Charli XCX, making them feel more like standalone songs. However, these tracks are still technically part of the score and thus not included in this breakdown.
Song | Artist | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | "PAIN" | King Princess | 2020 |
2 | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | Bonnie Tyler | 1983 |
3 | "Complicated" | Avril Lavigne | 2002 |
4 | "Party 4 U" | Charli XCX | 2020 |
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When Every Song On The Bottoms Soundtrack Plays In The Movie
Each song accompanies a pivotal scene in Bottoms
"PAIN" by King Princess - Indie-pop artist King Princess' "PAIN," with its all-too-fitting title, accompanies a montage of the first few proper fight club meetings in Bottoms. The scene alternates between different pairings of girls punching, kicking, and shoving each other in the center of a circle surrounded by the rest of the club. Tim witnesses the fight club in session just as Isabel tackles Josie to the ground and they share a moment, arousing his suspicions about Josie and PJ's intentions. Mr. G and the fight club members slyly greet each other in the hallway as the montage and song come to an end.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler - In one of the funniest scenes in Bottoms, Jeff listens to this '80s power ballad on his Walkman as he dramatically emotes in his bedroom, oblivious to the girls outside in ski masks, egging and TPing his house. The song quiets as Josie and Isabel have a heart-to-heart, but cranks back up again as Isabel leans in to kiss Josie, only to be interrupted by Hazel's bomb exploding. Jeff’s car erupts in flames and the girls all pile into the van and drive away, leaving Jeff shrieking as he looks out his egg-covered window to see his car on fire.
Bottoms is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
"Complicated" by Avril Lavigne - A truly unexpected yet genius needle drop occurs as PJ storms out of the gym after her fight with Josie, accompanied by the instantly recognizable opening guitar strum of “Complicated.” The angsty pop-rock anthem plays over a montage of the fallout from Josie and PJ getting exposed, with shots of PJ eating lunch alone on the bleachers and Jeff bringing Isabel flowers before getting back together. Hazel is shown lying on the couch with a swollen black eye and broken nose, surrounded by the other fight club members. The music abruptly stops when Josie's aimless stroll is interrupted by Rhodes
"Party 4 U" by Charli XCX - One of Charli XCX's own existing songs, "Party 4 U," actually soundtracks Bottoms' absurd ending. Led by Tim’s slow clap, the crowd applauds the fight club girls' violent attack on Huntington that resulted in the rival team's collective deaths. Josie and PJ proceed to make up before taking inventory of how many football players they killed. Josie apologizes to Isabel for lying about everything and the two of them share a passionate kiss in the middle of the football field. The camera pans out to show everybody celebrating, before "Party 4 U" cuts out as Hazel’s tree bomb finally explodes.
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Where To Listen To The Bottoms Soundtrack
Only Bottoms' original score soundtrack is available to stream
The BOTTOMS (Original Motion Picture Score) soundtrack, which consists of all 27 tracks that make up Birenberg and Charli XCX's original score, is available to stream in full on Spotify and Apple Music. Unfortunately, no official Bottoms soundtrack that features all the songs heard in the movie is available to stream or purchase. However, all four of the pre-existing songs—"PAIN" by King Princess, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler, "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne, and "Party 4 U" by Charli XCX—that appear in Bottoms can be found individually through the artist's page on Spotify and Apple Music.
Bottoms
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
- Release Date
- August 25, 2023
- Director
- Emma Seligman
- Cast
- Rachel Sennott , Ayo Edebiri , Havana Rose Liu , Kaia Gerber , Nicholas Galitzine , Dagmara Dominczyk , Marshawn Lynch
- Movies
- Bottoms (2023)
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