Polite company review

If Michelle Yeoh has taught us anything, it’s that martial arts are a woman’s game. She won her first Academy Award for her outstanding performance in All everywhere at oncethe indomitable actress has brought good news to all the girls who want to kick ass just like she keeps doing: a coat gleefully picked up by Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) in Nida Manzoor’s delightful debut. polite society.

From the depths of his vibrant Channel 4 sitcom we are female partsAfter an all-female Muslim punk band, Manzoor embraces all the idiosyncratic parts of being a second generation British-Pakistani immigrant to tell a story of ambition, family, femininity and yes, amazing martial arts. Gurinder Chadha singular spirit fan I want to be like Beckham You’ll find a lot to love about Priya Kansara’s outstanding performance, tenacious energy and wit reminiscent of Parminder Nagra’s revealing turn in Chadha’s sports comedy-drama.

But polite society is a beast in its own right: a glorious blend of the best of British comedy, with the brilliant wit of the Cornetto trilogy and the likability of some of Richard Curtis’s sharpest rom-coms (although the love celebrated here is sibling familial) — which then turns into a genre action extravaganza a la Scott Pellegrino what if, All everywhere at once. In all this madness, she never loses sight of her themes: the unbreakable bond of brotherhood and how a modern family handles traditional South Asian marriages.

While Ria grapples directly with the Jane Austen-ness of it all (before audiences get a chance), older sister and art-school dropout Lena (Ritu Arya) embraces a traditional marriage. But with the prospect of Lena getting married, Ria must deal with the loss of her sister. AND her cameraman, having recruited her to film her stunt skills as alter ego The Fury. She points to an extravagant rescue mission. The two actors share solid chemistry: Arya brings a grounded compassion as a counterpoint to Kansara’s unbridled energy, which she finds in teenage angst and total confusion the perfect canvas on which to paint a new maximalist action comedy.

polite society shifts to a completely different register in the second half of the film, retaining some of the sisters’ energy but then channeling it into socio-political thriller territory with a bold twist, proof that Manzoor has serious chops beyond comedy, buffoon and teenager . chaos. It practically works, thanks to the performances of Kansara and Arya, and the impressive work of acrobatics of the film, but in some cases the film could be revived and even prospered simply by enjoying the discussions of these women and, in the last instance, enjoying themselves between them too, as well.

However, ambitious publications celebrating such unique personalities, dreams and families don’t happen often, especially not in the UK. Movies that are so funny they take your breath away appear less frequently. Women rarely get the opportunity to let loose like this; Let the feverish pace of Manzoor keep running.