It is not often I see a film about a Pakistani-British teen. I’d say it’s even rarer that said film is a comedy … and rarer still that the teen in question aspires to be a stuntwoman. None of this displeases me. What I want most from a movie is to see something I haven’t seen before. Whether ill or well presented, Polite Society has shown me a few things I’ve never seen before.
Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) is obsessed with notable British stuntwoman Eunice Huthart. Ria is a teen and her ambition is to follow in the athletic trainers of her idol. Her parents want Ria to become a doctor. Pfft! A DOCTOR! The amount of scorn Ria displays reflecting such a “lowly” profession is pretty funny; what desperate, bottom-dwelling soul would humble herself to becoming a crappy doctor when stuntwoman was a possibility?
Every.single.day, Ria makes an action video that shows off her badass karate skills. She employs, nay begs, her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) to help with the filming. Ria’s skills aren’t bad, but they -and her entire act for that matter- could use polish. Ria responds defensively to just about everything
which makes her constantly aggressive and combative. Such is exacerbated to the nth degree when Lena attracts the attention of everybody’s favorite bachelor, Salim (Akshay Khanna).
Obviously, Ria is jealous of the handsome young man set to take her sister and best friend away, but is there more to it than that? And what in the world is going on with Salim’s overly involved mother, Rahella (Nirma Bucha)? Is this a case of simple jealousy or there something more sinister at play? And which path will allow Ria to become her alter ego, “The Fury”?
Polite Society reminded me off two very offbeat films: Sorry to Bother You and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Unfortunately for Polite Society, those two are both far better films, but that doesn’t leave Polite Society without its charms. I took turns both rooting for Ria and being embarrassed for her in turn. This character puts the “flawed” in “flawed hero,” more than once finding humility where none need have existed. Is this a good watch? For the kind of girl who prefers sports to prom, Polite Society will speak to you directly. For the rest of us, Polite Society was fun and watchable if a tad cringe-worthy.
There once was a girl quite contrary
Who saw stuntwork as her future primary
Her parents had no praise
But our hero didn’t phase
She‘d rather kick some ass than go off and marry
Rated PG-13, 103 Minutes
Director: Nida Manzoor (which sounds like a polite, yet firm, request for dick, no?)
Writer: Nida Manzoor
Genre: Pakisploitation?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Kids with career paths they haven’t chosen and do not want
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Their parents, perhaps
