- Alternative Character Interpretation: Even though PJ's Maybe Ever After Hazel is very much a fan favorite and Brittany says she's straight, a lot of Bottoms fans still interpret her as queer and/or ship her with PJ. It's become increasingly common to joke that if Bottoms gets a sequel, she'll realize she was repressing her own queerness. Reasons include:
- Brittany appears to be flirting with PJ in the bedroom scene. PJ also leans in for a kiss quite slowly, and it takes Brittany a while to interrupt her.
- Brittany says she's "not gay, but really like[s] gay porn" when she watches two girls (PJ and Hazel) making out.
- In some props from the film, Brittany writes
that she would "wait forever" for Isabel if she's still not single and professes that she's "a little bit in love" with her, and that she should leave Jeff.
- Awesome Music: One could easily say the whole soundtrack by Charli XCX and Leo Birenberg counts, but special mention goes to the titular track during the climactic homecoming fight, along with the end credits track, as well as Charli's own "Party 4U" playing in the film's final scene.
- Crosses the Line Twice: The film pretty much thrives on this. Some notable examples:
- Josie informing Isabel that Jeff is cheating on her, and not just with anyone but Mrs. Callahan, which (as Josie notes) is legal but still pretty nasty. There are so many things to unpack here, but Isabel's deeply strained laughter before she bangs her head on the table makes it hilarious.
- Everyone applauding the club for murdering the entire Huntington football team. It's a cliché that's made ridiculously funny by the context of them having murdered a whole team of high school athletes. Josie and PJ even briefly acknowledge that they will have to process what they've just done while posing and smiling.
- Diagnosed by the Audience: The three main girls (Josie, PJ, and Hazel) are theorized as neurodivergent by many fans, but Hazel takes the cake. The multiple running gags about her being Sarcasm-Blind alone have led plenty of fans to believe she's an autistic character.
- Fandom-Enraging Misconception: Nicholas Galitzine, despite being part of the main cast, is NOT a leading actor in this film. His own fans watching the film for him and saying he "stars" in it would result to backlash from Bottoms fans, who believe he's stealing the spotlight from the female leading stars.
- Friendly Fandoms:
- He Really Can Act: Marshawn Lynch is primarily known for being an athlete and not an actor. He had very meager acting experience prior to Bottoms (mostly limited to cameos as himself, barring a still-pretty-sparse, three-episode turn as Giggles in Westworld). However, viewers often pick out Lynch's hilarious performance as Mr. G as one of the standouts in the film. The fact that his dialogue was largely improvised makes it even more impressive.
- Hollywood Homely: Despite themselves not being so, Ayo Edebiri's and Rachel Sennott's characters are repeatedly called ugly both by themselves and others. They are also styled frumpily, especially in comparison to the more conventionally attractive classmates. Likewise, none of the other "ugly" girls are really ugly. It is implied that the "ugly" people are considered ugly only because of their demeanor and fashion sense. PJ even remarks that Sylvie could be attractive if she "stopped huffing paint" (to which Josie responds that Sylvie will never stop huffing paint).
- Hollywood Pudgy: It's also implied that one of the reasons the cheerleaders are considered so desirable is that they're so skinny. Their skinniness is even the basis of PJ and Josie's poor attempts at flirting with Brittany and Isabel when the latter two are introduced. Most of the other girls, including Josie and PJ, are clearly thin as well, however. Again, though, they wear frumpy and baggy clothes.
- Jerks Are Worse Than Villains: While the Huntington football players are painted as the Hate Sink and Big Bad after their murder history and plot to kill Jeff is mentioned, it can be a lot easier to hate Tim instead. As Jeff's Hypercompetent Sidekick, he's actively working against the girls by threatening Josie the day after Jeff's house is egged and TP'd (with his car blown up), and then takes advantage of a hurt Hazel (who PJ refused to give credit for her efforts in the club) to not only out PJ and Josie as liars, but then trick her into fighting the caged football player instead of PJ. This ultimately gets Hazel brutally beaten up, which Tim uses to further demonize PJ and Josie. Not helping matters is that the Huntington football players' villainy comes in near the end and are all disposed of in the same confrontation they appear in, while Tim ends up a complete Karma Houdini after spending more time in the film as an antagonistic figure (and the worst he gets is winding up in a chokehold during the final battle).
- Memetic Mutation: Even before the film came out, it amused many people due to the fact that its teasers mostly just consisted of dialogue-less frames of PJ and Josie with their mouths agape and looking shocked. The memes noted that surprise was clearly an emotion the two would experience many times in the film, but it'd be great to find out what it's actually about. The film's popularity despite the very, very limited release shows that the wait was worth it, though.
- One True Pairing: Isabel and Josie are easily the most popular pairing, due to their well developed romance and the chemistry between their actresses. It's next to impossible to find a fan who doesn't ship them or ships them with anyone else.
- The Woobie: Hazel is put through the wringer in this film. She’s ignored and belittled by the other two outcasts, finds out her mom is screwing the high school quarterback, and is brutally beaten and humiliated in front of the entire school.
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