Ayo Edebiri’s dad reviewed Bottoms and the internet is obsessed: ‘Such pride! I love it!’
Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri in Bottoms. (Orion Pictures)
Ayo Edebiri’s dad has just won over the internet after his Letterboxd review of Bottoms went viral.
The absurdist lesbian coming-of-age comedy is taking the world by storm – despite its relatively limited release – and sky-rocketing stars Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri to super-stardom.
Bottoms tells the story of lesbian high school students PJ (Sennott) and Josie (Edebiri) who find themselves at the bottom of the high school food chain. After the best friends are targeted by the school’s star football player and accused of flirting with his cheerleader girlfriend, PJ and Josie take matters into their own hands once and for all.
PJ and Josie manage to set up a school-approved fight club under the guise of teaching girls self-defence – but really it’s just an excuse to hook up with hot cheerleaders.
Since its release in theatres, Bottoms has been met with critical acclaim and developed an enormous queer fanbase.
But Edebiri’s biggest fan has already made himself known on film-reviewing platform Letterboxd. And that’s her own father.
Ayo’s dad has contributed to the heap of five-star reviews on Letterboxd with a fair and balanced review of the cult-comedy film – and made sure to let everyone know that he was related to the talent.
The review, uncovered by a hardcore Bottoms fan, read: “Bottoms, starring Rachel Sennott (PJ) and Ayo Edebiri (Josie), is directed by Emma Seligman.
“It is one of the best [comedies] I have seen all year. In the interest of self-disclosure, Ayo is my daughter.”
It wasn’t long before Ayo’s dad’s review went viral, and people quickly became obsessed with the proud parent.
“Peak proud Daddy. She’s so wonderful I imagine her parents are the coolest people,” tweeted one fan.
“He had to add ‘she’s my daughter’. Such pride! I love it! He is not risking another parent taking his glory,” a second pointed out.
And a third, moved by the touching father-daughter moment asked: “Who is cutting onions?”
Others couldn’t help but laugh at how thoughtful Edebiri’s dad was in explaining his five-star review.
One person joked: “But not even definitely the best comedy he’s seen this year, he’s a critic with integrity.”
Another raved: “We love an ethical king.”
Despite its humble release, Bottoms premiered with a record-breaking opening weekend – and it has only blown up from there.
Premiering on just 10 screens across the US, it earned an average of $51,625 (£41,000) per venue –the highest figure for a pandemic-era movie that opened on that number of screens or more.
Not only did Sennott, Edebiri, and their director Emma Seligman make a hit, but they’ve proven that queer stories aren’t the niche market that film studios think they are, and can be box office hits with the right backing.
