Fighting with My Family chronicles the life & career of professional wrestler Paige who grew up in a wrestling fanatic family in Norwich, England that's fully devoted to sports entertainment business. The plot covers her journey from being selected for tryouts to moving to America where she trains & learns the skills of the trade, and culminates with her historic debut on Monday Night Raw.
Directed by Stephen Merchant, the film is one hilarious ride but it also packs a lot of heart. The family may seem idiosyncratic but their bonding with each other has a genuine vibe to it. Add to that, it does a neat job of depicting the rite of passage every aspiring wrestler has to go through and shows that just like any other sport, it requires nothing less than blood, toil, tears & sweat to make it to the big stage.
Florence Pugh plays the role of Saraya "Paige" Knight and delivers an outstanding performance by aptly articulating her emotions. Jack Lowden is in as her brother and shows his downhill journey with a balanced input. Nick Frost & Lena Headey portray Paige's parents and appear to be thoroughly enjoying their roles. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gets back into his old skin with ease. And Vince Vaughn chips in with solid work in the role of a WWE trainer.
Overall, Fighting with My Family is a well crafted, finely narrated & wonderfully performed sports comedy that's amusing, entertaining & moving in sufficient doses. Delivering the goods with plenty of heart, it may be nostalgic to some & inspiring to others but it is by all means a welcome & heartfelt tribute to all the wrestlers who continue to put their bodies on line week after week just for the sake of entertaining us. A time well-spent, Fighting with My Family is worth a shot.
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