Coming-of-age comedies about young protagonists with esoteric dreams are not exactly a rarity. What is less common, though, are films as spirited and charming as Nida Manzoor's a roundhouse kick of a movie about two British-Pakistani sisters that marries Jane Austen with kung-fu flare.
鈥淧olite Society,鈥� the feature film debut of writer-director Manzoor, creator of the British sitcom 鈥淲e Are Lady Parts,鈥� is a fun and increasingly preposterous comedy. But it's propelled by an infectious and genuine punk-rock energy. Make no mistake about it, the sisters of 鈥淧olite Society鈥� are here to take down Pakistani tradition, the patriarchy and anything else you got.
Manzoor's film, which opens in theaters Friday, first debuted at the , where a lot of quirky coming-of-age comedies tend to emerge. And while there isn't much inherently groundbreaking in 鈥淧olite Society,鈥� Manzoor's zippy script and direction, plus terrific performances from newcomer Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya, give a familiar teen-comedy form some spry new moves.
Ria Khan (Kansara) and Lena (Arya) are London sisters with ambitions that don't jive with their mostly sweet and not-all-that-demanding parents (Shobu Kapoor, Jeff Mirza). Ria dreams of being a stuntwoman. Lena is a budding artist. But having recently dropped out of art school, Lena's self-confidence is flagging. Ria's, however, is sky high 鈥� sometimes comically so. When she faces off with a library monitor (Shona Babayemi) at school, the scene turns into an amplified fight scene with all the aplomb of a Sergio Leone showdown. But as Lena flies through the air for the knockout kick, she falls short by a foot or two.
Like most comedies, 鈥淧olite Society鈥� is best in its first half. Manzoor juxtaposes Ria and Lena's brazen individualism against the expectations they're saddled with growing up. One scene is crosscut between their mother, with other mothers at tea, talking warmly about her daughters' maturity while back home, Ria and Lena dance wildly. But their biggest threat isn't a domineering parent or a teacher that tells Ria to be a doctor, instead. It's that Lena's commitment to their sisterly rebellion is quaking.
Lena is set up with Salim (Akshay Khanna) by her mother and Salim's wealthy, strong-arming mother (Nimra Bucha, terrifically diabolical) with the idea of an arranged marriage. Horrifying as this prospect is to Ria, even worse is that Lena actually falls for him. With her best friends (Seraphina Beh and Ella Bruccoleri), Ria endeavors to spy on Salim to find some dirt on him. Undercover at his gym, Ria communicates through a walkie-talkie: 鈥淭he eagle is on the treadmill.鈥�
鈥淧olite Society鈥� does spiral as it goes along, taking on a too-out-there science-fiction plot. But throughout, the joy of the film is how Manzoor celebrates Ria and Lena's nonconformist spunk while playfully mocking their grandiose efforts to bend the world with their will. After raucously rallying her friends to foil the marriage, Ria lays out an unexpectedly modest phase one of diplomacy. 鈥淪o, like, chatting?鈥� one friends replies. 鈥淵eah, like verbiage,鈥� she answers. 鈥淪trongly worded verbiage.鈥� Often, the editing (by Robbie Morrison) is just as funny. The timing couldn't be more perfect between Lena pronouncing that she and her sister wouldn't be caught dead at a 鈥渉oity-toity鈥� soiree and the cut to them at the ball.
Manzoor's film unfolds in chapters, each announced with elaborate yellow titles. The joke is how much Ria and Lena aren't your typical kung-fu heroes, how much their teen dramas don't equate to thrilling martial-arts clashes. But why 鈥淧olite Society鈥� is so winning is because they really are engaged in a battle of life and death. Refusing who you're supposed to be isn't always polite business. Sometimes, it takes a karate chop.
鈥淧olite Society,鈥� a Focus Features release is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for strong language, violence, sexual material, and some partial nudity. Running time: 103 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
