Two things emerge from witnessing the utterly charming and endearingly humorous Fighting with my Family. The true story of pro-wrestler Paige is as a talent announcement for actress Florence Pugh—who blows us away as the British wrestler who hopped the pond and became a sensation. It also serves as a stunning writer-director effort by Stephen Merchant (The UK’s The Office).
Fighting with my Family has arrived on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats and is an utter delight on so many levels.
Paige (born Saraya Knight) and her brother Zak Knight (Jack Lowden) were born into a wrestling family that finds their passion for the sport going way past fanatic to all out adoration. Their father, Ricky Knight (Nick Frost) and mother, Julia Knight (Lena Headey) run a local British wrestling school and weekly fight night that brings the entire community together around some (mostly) harmless fun. They also have a school and as such, they are keeping kids off the street and giving them something to do while their parents in this working class community complete their shifts.
The fab four wrestling family would be perfectly content doing what they’re doing for years to come, but fate has other ideas. Saraya and Zak submitted a video to the WWE in hopes that they could score an audition when the traveling wrestling monolith comes to London. Fast forward to the phone ringing and that is exactly what happens. Sadly, only one person in the entire British lot who auditioned for a spot at WWE’s Performance Center in Florida—where the future of the sport is molded—and that individual is Saraya. Zak, at first, is encouraging and of course her parents are over the moon with pride. After all, Ricky had hoped to be a pro wrestler and witnessing his daughter even have the opportunity to become one has him bursting at the seams.
Fighting with My Family is a classic fish out of water type movie experience, coupled with an inspirational dig deep, work hard and great things can happen for you true tale. When Saraya arrives in Florida to train under Vince Vaughn’s Hutch, things start roughly. She looks nothing like any of the other women in the program. She also has a bit of difficulty learning the ropes (pun intended) of what it takes to wrestle at the highest level possible. See, Hutch informs her, it is not just about physical skill in the ring. This is an industry that is built on characters and finding ways to endear these folks to the millions who treasure what the WWE serves up.
The way that Merchant paints the picture of what our protagonist goes through in Florida is so smartly executed. After all, Saraya is at an age (late teens) where she is still trying to figure out who she is, what comprises her belief system and what it is that makes her tick. She goes through a few incarnations and as she does, she gets further away from what it was that Hutch saw in her back in the auditions in the UK. One thing that she does settle on quickly is her wrestling name … Paige. Why? Ever watch Charmed?
There are countless lessons here that are delivered all under the guise of pure entertainment. They tend to center around believing in yourself and the idea that dreams are made to be achieved, but they can come at a cost. One of the costs here is the rapid deterioration of Paige’s relationship with her brother. His jealousy starts to rear its ugly head and for a spell, our heroine feels that she is alone in the world, thousands of miles from her parents and support system.
Fighting with My Family is one of those movies that will have you cheering at various points throughout the thoroughly enjoyable film. What’s so terrific about Merchant’s film is that one does not have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy it. It transcends sport. Then again, the greatest sports movies are always about something much larger on the context scale than winning and losing a game. Merchant weaves a web that is richly entertaining, enlightening and above all else will leave audiences turning off their video players and looking around, wondering what hill they can conquer!
Frost and Headey are adorable as the most unlikely of husband and wives. Their blinding support of their children also endears them to viewers and gives some of us parents an inspirational lesson in raising children that are firm arenas of right and wrong, but also what it means to simply be a good human being. The film also is about community and how family can take many forms. The WWE has the potential to become a second family to Paige, if only she allows it to envelope her with the love all the aspiring wrestlers have for a sport that she shares.
Pugh is sensational and a revelation. Her character is given such a rich arc by Merchant. It’s hard to zero in on what a late-teen woman feels, thinks and believes. Yet, this middle-aged white man has hit the nail on the head and crafted a role for Pugh that certainly put her on the map and the radar of Hollywood casting folks. Look for her to become a bigger and bigger star as the years go by. Joining her in the awesome department is Lowden. His being pulled in so many directions is captured effortlessly by the thespian. He has a girlfriend and she is pregnant. He feels his dreams have been dashed and he has little to wake for every day. That’s a tricky arc to straddle and Merchant has crafted the role for Lowden that he hits out of the park.
Then, there’s the appearance of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The wrestler-turned-actor is a producer on the film and portrays himself throughout Fighting with My Family. It’s a real meta type of role for him and must admit, he is pretty good at capturing what “The Rock is cooking.”
One of the bonus features on the home video release is an all-new director’s cut. It’s an interesting take on the subject matter that is just ever-so-slightly different than the one released in theaters. My suggestion is to watch the original version, and then at some later date pop in the director’s cut.
A Family’s Passion: A Making Of is a great behind-the-scenes look at the making of the wildly joyous flick. What is so striking from this featurette is how passionate all involved were to capture this story and do what Paige achieved justice. They, clearly as you can tell by my lauding of this effort, went deep in the making of the story by capturing the emotions involved in going for one’s dreams when all the cards are stacked against you.
The gag reel is good fun, and the deleted and extended scenes are enjoyable as well to see how the mind of moviemaker Merchant works.
Learning the Moves spotlights how the cast and professional wrestlers worked together to bring the beloved sport to life. Fans of the WWE are well aware if they’re being talked down to or portrayed in a light that is not favorable. This making-of featurette illustrates just how passionate all involved were to get it right—not only for Paige herself, but for all those who share her adoration for wrestling.
Lastly, if you still want more from the making-of side of things, I highly recommend turning on the feature commentary with writer-director Merchant. His insight is stunning and once experiencing his commentary track, I am now sold on anything he does heading forward that bears his name in the writer and director department.
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: B