A wannabe-stuntman and action star discovers a crazy plot involving her sister in this action-comedy from first time director Nida Manzoor.

Ria Khan has idolized former British Gladiator and stuntwoman Eunice Huthart. She makes videos where she calls herself “The Fury” as she is a current black belt in karate. However, she tends to fail whenshe attempts a jump spinning kick. At school, she relies on her best friends Clara and Alba and always faces the wrath of heavy Kovacs. The only one she can rely on is her sister Lena, a would-be artist who has dropped out of school.

Things change when after an invite to an Eid Mubarak party run by the affluent Raheela, Lena meets Raheela’s son Salim and the two start a relationship. Ria knows something isn’t right, but no one will believe her. When Salim and Lena announce their engagement, Ria tries to stop the wedding but fails every time she makes an attempt. However, when she learns the reason why Lena was chosen for Salim, she must pull out all the stops and save her sister before it’s too late.

Written and directed by newcomer Nida Manzoor, this is a wild and wacky martial arts comedy revolving around a dreamer who will go to great lengths to save her sister. The We Are Lady Parts creator created a chapter-filled film full of comedy, drama, and action rolled up in one little package. In some ways, there are shades of Bend It Like Beckham when it comes to the Khan parents telling Ria to give up being a stuntwoman and stick to their traditions, all because the matriarch wants to be like the affluent people in the area.

Priya Kansara is excellent in the role of Ria, who is hellbent on living her dream of being an action star and stuntwoman. We see her in the opening of the film training in karate and making a video with her sister as the videographer. Kansara handles herself well when it comes to the film’s stunts, thanks to stunt and fight coordinator Rob Lock. The film even takes a page of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World when it comes to battles in the film with the names of the combatants superimposed on the screen.

Ritu Arya makes the biggest change in the film, going from a depressed art school dropout to being “brainwashed” into the future bride of Salim, a geneticist, played by Akshay Khanna. We see her change her appearance and mannerisms. It gets to where it is sister vs. sister in one scene during one of Ria’s failed attempts to stop the wedding. That fight is quite fun to see as well as we see some Hong Kong-inspired wirework and all-around chaos. As if that’s not crazy enough, the wedding finale is even more insane and is of course, predictable, but nonetheless fun to watch.

Polite Society could be called “Bend It Like Huthart” as well and is a fun martial arts comedy-drama full of chaos, sibling rivalry that is ultimately about the power of sisterhood. Some fun performances and wirework-inspired fight scenes make this a film to check out.

WFG RATING: B+

Focus Features presents a Working Title Films production in association with Parkville Pictures. Director: Nida Manzoor. Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Olivier Kampfer, and John Pocock. Writer: Nida Manzoor. Cinematography: Ashley Conner. Editing: Robbie Morrison.

Cast: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Nimra Bucha, Akshay Khanna, Seraphina Beh, Ella Bruccoleri, Shona Babeyami, Shobu Kapoor, Jeff Mizra, Sally Ann, Eunice Huthart.