It’s really silly that the WWE has a film production company. It’s main goal seems to be producing (or more often co-producing) movies that either feature a famous wrestler or are in some way significantly related to the world of professional wrestling. Most of their output had been straight-to-video and the few theatrical releases they have been involved with have been terrible movies (apart from the seriously random outlier of Oculus). I say this because the biopic Fighting With My Family, which they co-produced with a half dozen other studios but is heavily self-promotional, is the first good movie their name’s been plastered over.
It’s the true story of Saraya Knight a.k.a. Paige (Florence Pugh) and her brother Zak (Jack Lowden) who grow up in Norwich, England aspiring to be professional wrestlers, encouraged by their wrestling obsessed parents Ricky (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Headey), with whom they run a local independent club and training centre. The two secure a London try-out for WWE, but when only Paige is selected it causes a rift in their relationship; which is only further exacerbated by the realities of her trial in America, where she’s forced to train and compete differently than how she’s used to against women without experience, while enduring the drill sergeant motivational tactics of her trainer Hutch (Vince Vaughan).
This movie is the directorial debut of Stephen Merchant who also wrote it, and who is the last person you’d ever expect to write and direct a wrestling movie (he even appears in all his awkward, stuffy glory as a timid man completely out of his element among the Knights). But for a first effort, it’s not at all bad. He does an especially good job establishing early on that despite being an unusual, even chaotic family, the Knights are also a rather healthy family who love and support each other. The relationships are tangible and endearing, setting the stage for higher investing stakes when they come into conflict later. The performances are all pretty strong too, from the always delightful Nick Frost and a perfectly cast Lena Headey, to Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden effectively carrying the weight of the story. Pugh in particular shows great dedication and vulnerability, winning over the audience long before she wins over a crowd.
These performances and the emotional crux of the sibling rivalry is what overcomes an otherwise largely conventional sports drama narrative. In terms of plot and the trajectory of Paige’s journey there’s nothing much original, save for the fact I’ve never seen this story applied to wrestling before. But that novelty does add a freshness because of pro wrestling’s unique style of presentation. It’s half athleticism, half performance, and the film touches on how success depends on mastering both. Paige is much better and stronger at the sporting aspect than anyone around her, but freezes when forced to trash talk and cultivate the aggressive and entertaining identity required in the WWE. It’s a very specific kind of pressure and a notably hostile environment, even if it’s manufactured hostility, that isn’t for the faint of heart –making it that much easier to sympathize with Paige, already emotionally alone and singled out for being British. Of course telling a wrestling story like this in the preordained world of WWE does come with difficulty, particularly during the climax where this film has to rewrite its own rules in order to deliver with any weight -and it doesn’t quite pull that off.
Speaking of the WWE, that organization’s ubiquitous presence in the movie admittedly makes it difficult at times not to see the film as a shameless advertisement. However I do feel that would come with the territory of doing any movie about a famous wrestler, and it’s never quite obnoxious enough to get in the way of the story. I’ll also give them some credit for not shying away from the less glamourous sides of their industry. Though obviously they come out looking good in the end, this film does show how stressful and tough the road to WWE stardom is, is unafraid to admit that wrestling ability isn’t a priority to them, and even lightly touches on the sexism inherent in highly sexualized womens’ wrestling and the vulgarity it draws. And ultimately the WWE lets the movie always come back to the family story, contrasting Paige’s experiences in America with Zak’s life and depression in his routines in Norwich and their parents’ overzealous enthusiasm with her burgeoning career. That being said, I really dislike how much the marketing for this movie emphasizes Dwayne Johnson just because of his movie star status. While he is an executive producer and was instrumental in getting the film made, he’s front and centre with Paige on a lot of the posters despite his role being no more than an extended cameo over a pair of scenes. And he’s fine in them, he’s charming as usual, but he could have been replaced with any experienced wrestler (in fact it would make more sense if his part was given to someone still involved in pro wrestling). It’s blatantly misleading and detracts from what the movie is really about.
Being a different kind of underdog sports story grounded in an engaging family drama and coloured by Merchant’s great sense of humour is what makes Fighting With My Family worth watching. It’s well-structured, well-written, and emotionally compelling, making for a good behind-the-camera debut for the seasoned comedian and a (perhaps fleeting) mark of competence for WWE Studios.
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