While the 2021 Reel Love Film Fest ended on Valentine’s Day, I wrap up my coverage of the festival by writing about “Golden Arm,” a raucous buddy comedy that premiered Saturday and is about as much fun at the movies you could hope to have. On the surface, the film is about two friends coming together, a woman getting over a stale part of her life and a divorce, and reconnecting with an old friend that once had been lost. However, a greater part of the film is a fantastic sports tale about a female arm wrestling championship wrapped up in a healing journey that makes few if any missteps throughout its run. “Golden Arm” is just great fun, and brings warmth to your heart and a smile to your face.
“Golden Arm’s” success is a byproduct of its familiar approach; and while that may seem like a detriment, an encouraging tale we can cheer along to and care about may be just what the world needs right now. It has a bit of an unorthodox scope—a woman reeling from divorce and stagnation joins her friend on a road trip and joins a female arm wrestling competition—but is packed with the things that make films like this fun to watch. There’s the thrill of sports victories, new loves, and reconnecting with old friends, alongside discovering yourself and listening to your inner voice. But director Maureen Bharoocha and writers Ann Marie Wilson and Jenna Milly don’t just stop there: they bring the laughs by the bucket, causing side-splitting laughter in the process.
The leads here are great, and do nothing to disappoint. One the one hand, we have Betsy Sodaro as Danny, a tough, trucker-type female arm wrestler who talks first and thinks later, and often thinks a bar fight in the answer to all of life’s problems. Danny is a funny character, and Sodaro makes her who she is. There’s doubtless a lot of channeling of humor à la Melissa McCarthy, but Sodaro makes Danny someone we can relate to. There’s heart to her, and humor, and this movie simply wouldn’t have been the same without her.
On the other hand, Mary Holland as Melanie is great, and I don’t think I’ve rooted for a lead this much by the end of a movie in some time. She starts off as a woman who is meek and shy, and doesn’t have the strength to stand up to anyone in her life, who, by the end, will be slamming arms down on tables and embracing her identity. The polite, uber-conservative prude who finally comes into her own is the furthest thing from non-cliché; but even when you know it’s as procedural as it comes, when Melanie finally lets that one curse word leave her lips, it brought a smile to my heart all the same.
The film is also full of ancillary characters that make it just fun to watch, from the villainous arm wrestler Brenda (Olivia Starbouliah) to Ron Funches who plays a roadie named Carl to Eugene Cordero as a love interest for Melanie. They all just fit, and make the cast of “Golden Arm” just great fun to watch. There are no wild plot twists or last minute wrenches throw into the plot. The movie follows a standard formula, but does it so swimmingly and with such exuberance as to make you root and cheer.
“Golden Arm” is just great fun, and brings warmth to your heart and a smile to your face.”
The script is solid, and Allison and Milly have written a story that just works. It’s funny, that you can insert this kind of emotion and heart into something as esoteric as an air wrestling championship, but, at the end of the day, these type of films aren’t about the sport itself, but about the change its leads undergo because of it. And “Golden Arm” does something that on the surface shouldn’t have worked, but somehow does. It sets up an expected outcome and then dangles a red herring in front of you, and for a moment you feel unfulfilled. But then it comes back strong, and the biggest regret you have is that it didn’t have as much faith in it as you should have. The film spends most of its first half causing you to fall to floor with laughter, but the end almost brought a tear to my eye. It takes a good film to do that.
There are very few issues here, but if I had to pick one it would be the length. At 1 hour and 30 minutes, “Golden Arm” is so enjoyable that it feels just a little too short, and I wished for a little more time to understand the dynamics between Melanie and Danny. The film doesn’t end abruptly, but packs a great deal of healing in a short package. But it’s a minor criticism, and doesn’t really dent this film’s awesomeness. It’s very hard to walk away and think you didn’t enjoy this film.
All in all, “Golden Arm” is a win. Its character are fun, its scope is fun, and without too much effort you simply feel better for having watched this. It’s great enjoyment, and a fantastic way to conclude the Reel Love Film Fest. If you get the chance to watch this film in the future, don’t hesitate: you won’t be disappointed.
*This review was written from the film’s day 4 screening at the 2021 ‘Reel Love Film Fest’ programming.
