Polite Society is one of those under-the-radar movies, not many movie-goers will get the chance to see in a month filled with blockbuster movies. Premiering earlier this year at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, it was a crowd-pleaser amongst festivalgoers and I can see why.
Making her directorial debut, Nida Manzoor brings us a martial arts action-comedy in the style of Scott Pilgrim vs the World meets Jane Austen. The film follows Ria Khan, a teenager who dreams of being a stunt woman while dealing with her new sister’s boyfriend and his ulterior motives. A pretty simple premise, but how it's executed and shown really drew me in. The cast for this film is majority British-Pakistani, with a mix of new and experienced actors. Most notably Ritu Arya (Umbrella Academy, Barbie) as Lena the sister to Ria, and Nimra Bucha (Ms. Marvel) as Raheela the boyfriend's mom.
Priya Kansara was great as the lead actress Ria, she plays her character really well. It’s even more impressive to see that she did all her own stunts for this role. It really helps with the action scenes in this movie, which is the best thing about this movie alongside the sprinkled bits of British humor.
I really enjoy this movie and its message about family and sisterhood. If you’re looking for action- comedy to kick off the summer this is the perfect movie to watch.
For Me:
B+ rating.