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Polite Society Movie Review

Polite Society is a 2023 British martial arts action comedy film directed by Nida Manzoor and starring Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya. It’s a flawed, but very entertaining movie.

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“If it’s an arse-kicking you’re after,

I could give you that for free“

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Ria Khan believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends’ help, she attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood. This is a very interesting movie that is very British in some of its sardonic humor that is typical of the country in question, but it’s also influenced by martial arts movies and of course Bollywood in its action and musical scenes.

You’d think that this type of mixture would not work, and although it’s certainly not all seamlessly incorporated, the majority of the film still worked like a charm. What I particularly loved about it is the humor, which is just so good. It made me laugh more than a couple of times, especially the last couple of minutes and the first act that was the obvious highlight of the picture.

What did not work here was that twist in the third act that led to a very odd action thriller territory that the film did not need to go into. It reminded me unpleasantly of the ending of ‘Get Out’, another film that was derailed in a similar fashion with its preposterous twist. This movie was so good before that, so this bombastic third act was not needed. It made the movie not as believable as it was before it.

With that being said, Polite Society was still an absolute blast. The performances from Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya were terrific and the two made for such a formidable sibling duo. The sisterhood at the center of the story was just so sweet and their dynamic was one that was moving, but still complex and rooted in reality.

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The film dealt so well with this family’s issues and how sometimes parents are simply not supportive of their children when it comes to professional choices. The dialogue was especially poignant and grounded in that excellent first half. As for the martial arts scenes, they were silly for sure, but still quite fun and solidly choreographed. The score, cinematography and eclectic costumes were the other highlights here.