“Polite Society” takes an already amusing family melodrama plot and turns it into a kung fu spectacle. Ria (Priya Kansara) aspires to be a professional stuntwoman, and she’ll use her fighting prowess to save her sister, Lena (Ritu Arya), from a terrible fate — marriage. Amid the familial drama are stylistic fight sequences that turn what could’ve been a straightforward, grounded story into something truly special. As the film goes on, it delves into grander absurdity with more bombastic fights.
Metaphorically, the fights in “Polite Society” exemplify the struggle between following one’s path and abiding by tradition, especially as it pertains to Pakistani families. They also make the internal struggle between the two sisters external, which includes one fantastic fight the girls engage in where Ria tells Lena everything wrong about the man she wants to marry. There’s also some delightful capering as Ria attempts to find incriminating evidence against her sister’s soon-to-be husband only to realize he’s a pretty good guy … on the surface, at least.
The Nida Manzoor-directed and-written film follows a trend many of the best comedies of 2023 had — hosting a variety of cultures’ comedic sensibilities that we don’t see as often in mainstream media. For far too long, comedies were dominated by straight white men, offering a single (often skewed and stereotypical) perspective. Films like “Polite Society,” “Joy Ride,” and “Quiz Lady” feature people from more inclusive backgrounds to show what’s funny to them. The result? Something remarkable.
