'Golden Arm' strikes gold | movie review

Golden Arm follows a down-on-her-luck baker is convinced by her college roommate to train for and compete an arm wrestling competition

Golden Arm is an irresistibly charming and funny tongue-in-cheek sports movie that overcomes its unevenness with a knockout lead performance by Mary Holland.

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I first discovered Mary Holland last year in Clea DuVall’s Happiest Season, where she was the clear scene stealer as overlooked sister Jane. Her oddly charismatic deadpan style that always seemed to hit the exact hilariously self-deprecating note was hard to resist. But with Golden Arm, a new comedy from director Maureen Bharoocha, she trades her scene-stealing role for a lead one. And she… well she’s the golden arm.

Holland plays Melanie, a down-on-her-luck baker with a slimy ex-husband and an inability to stand up for herself. Sensing that she needs a change, her old college roommate Danny (Betsy Sodaro) convinces her to join in on a cross-country big rig delivery she’s making. However, Danny has ulterior motives. After losing an arm wrestling match to Brenda the Bone Crusher (Olivia Stambouliah, she wants to train Melanie to take her place in a tournament and take Brenda down.

Along the way, Melanie has a Rocky-like training session with Big Sexy (the delightful Dot Marie Jones), a run-in with a very angry bar owner (Kate Flannery), and some touching moments with Danny about her recent divorce. That last point is a light thematic line throughout the film that gives it some meaning and development for Melanie making Golden Arm more than a fun satirical romp. While the movie’s plot feels familiar — and takes a while to find its footing — Holland’s endearing performance matched with Sodaro’s energetic one keeps you hooked and rooting for them both.

By the end, through some chuckles and genuinely heartwarming moments Golden Arm ends up greater than the sum of its parts. It manages to be a comedic feminist spin on the classic sports film by simply empowering its characters — and performers — to be all they can be. It’s a more than enjoyable 90 minutes that leave you charmed and smiling.

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Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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Karl Delossantos

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Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.