Bottoms’ Confusing Timeline Explained: What Year The Hit Comedy Is Set In

Irreverent and inventive, Bottoms is one of film’s more recent sure-to-be cult classics. Even so, the comedy features a fairly confusing timeline that has viewers questioning what year Bottoms‘ unhinged series of events are supposed to take place in. Helmed by Emma Seligman, the Bottoms’ screenplay saw its director re-teaming with her Shiva Baby collaborator Rachel Sennott, who also co-stars in the film alongside Emmy-winning actor Ayo Edebiri. The satirical teen sex comedy centers on PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Edebiri), two self-proclaimed “ugly, untalented gays” who are desperate to impress their cheerleader crushes.

After a rumor about PJ and Josie spending a summer in juvie takes hold, Bottoms‘ main characters are keen to let the wild story snowball, especially since the lie catches the attention of their crushes, Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber). When the student body feels threatened by a rival high-school football team, Rockbridge Falls’ young women turn to PJ and Josie for self-defense training. With the very foundation of the fight club hinging on an enormous lie, PJ and Josie could destroy their chances with the cheerleaders before even making a move.

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Bottoms Review: The Teen Comedy Genre Gets A Much-Needed Kick In The Ass

A Fight Club meets Superbad riff, Bottoms is a violent & riotous R-rated romp, proving once more that Rachel Sennott & Ayo Edebiri are stars.

Bottoms Seemingly Takes Place In 2023 (But The Clothes & Technology Suggest The Early 2000s)

Even though Bottoms doesn’t hammer home what year it’s set in, the film does provide some context for viewers. Like any good genre movie, Bottoms‘ ending showcases “the big game” — a football match between the Rockbridge Falls Vikings and Huntington High. Allegedly, Huntington is picking off Rockbridge Falls students, hence the need for PJ and Josie’s self-defense club. Given the heated rivalry between the two schools, Bottoms makes time to dig into some of the history. At one point, a throwaway line references that it has been 20 years since the last big game between the rivals.

In discussing that two-decade-old game, another character mentions that it unfolded back in 2003. That said, the present storyline of Bottoms is seemingly set in 2023 — the same year Bottoms was released. Despite the very clear indicators of Bottoms‘ present-set narrative, the movie’s production and costume design throws a wrench into things. From the characters’ clothing choices to their devices — multiple CD players and flip phones appear throughout Bottoms — the movie’s vibes scream the early 2000s. However, that all could be a nod to the fact that early ’00s trends are “in” again.

Why Bottoms’ Ambiguous Timeline Is Actually Perfect For The Movie

There’s no denying that Bottoms satirizes the raunchy teen sex comedies that dominated the late ’80s, ’90s, and even the early 2000s. Because of its willingness to pay homage to the films that inspired it, the over-the-top Bottoms feels both contemporary and nostalgic. Bottoms is a satire of a lot of things (including itself), so meshing a modern-day setting with early 2000s references and iconography works. Not only is the timeline blending fitting, but it allows Bottoms to transcend any one particular moment, which means it won’t feel dated in years to come.