Fighting With My Family

Fighting With My Family

Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Nick Frost, Lena Headey

Directed by Stephen Merchant

The Story:
At a very young age, siblings Saraya (Florence Pugh) and Zak (Jack Lowden) Knight had a dream of one day wrestling for the WWE, a dream shared by their loving and offbeat parents Ricky (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Headey).  The family wrestles together and teaches kids in their small England town of Norwich how to wrestle, and when they receive a call from WWE trainer Hutch Morgan (Vince Vaughn) to audition Saraya and Zak, the entire family is over the moon.

When they participate in the tryouts, despite Zak being the seemingly more polished wrestler, Hutch chooses Saraya to advance to Florida, ending Zak's dream before it even began.  As Saraya advances and deals with the difficulties of being a wrestler, Zak wrestles with himself and his downward spiral to depression due to his dream being crushed.  Saraya - who calls herself Paige - struggles with being away from her family, not being accepted by the other wrestlers, and really finding her niche in the world she only one dreamed of, and struggles herself with the concept of quitting.

The Synopsis:
Every once in awhile, there's a small film that comes out that totally blows me out of the water, a film that I wasn't expecting much out of, but winded up being a sentimental favorite.  "Fighting With My Family" is one such film, since it's the biography of a WWE wrestler named Paige, a woman I've never heard of before seeing the film because the last time I watched any wrestling it was when Hulk Hogan was in the ring.  I was expecting something good, but what I got was something incredible - a film that really follows its own tropes in unapologetic ways (much like wrestling unabashedly proves that it's basically a soap opera for men) but hits on every point and pins you to the floor (I think I got that wrestling term right).

We follow the story of Paige from her growing up years to auditioning for the WWE, and the struggles and pitfalls that she had to endure to make it to the big ring.  We get the general uplifting tale with obvious notes that's exactly what you'd find in a film like this, but due to a stellar cast and a highly capable young lead, you don't mind taking the predictable trip.  Through the film, we learn a lot not just about Paige's determination, but a little about ourselves as well - how we shouldn't give up on our dreams when things get tough, how to not see people for what they seem to be on the outside, and the importance of family - no matter how unique they may be.

When brother and sister Zak and Saraya (who later changes her name to Paige) earn the right to audition for the WWE, it was a dream they both shared since childhood.  However, only Paige was selected to advance, leaving Zak to tend to his wounds of having his dreams dashed.  While the film is basically Paige's story, it still gives a bit of time on Zak, and how he dealt with the crushing defeat (not-so-spoilery: he doesn't handle it well), and there's a few sincere moments between the siblings as they both face their own struggles in ways that seem very natural.  When Paige wants to quit, the moment she shares with Zak is incredibly rough and emotional, and basically how you think a moment like that would go down between two people who had the same dream, but one got to keep pursuing it while the other had to quit.  Time and time again, Paige wanted to give up and go home, but she kept pushing herself further, and with the love and support of her family, went on to become one of the most recognized women in the WWE.

During the training, there's several moments that are cookie-cutter generic that you'd find in any underdog sports movie - such as Paige not measuring up against her prettier, more polished teammates - but also tells a story in a way of how we truly see ourselves.  Paige compares herself to the other girls in the group, who are either former dancers, models, or wannabe actresses, and immediately sees a distinction between their perfect looks and her "goth" demeanor.  While it seems that it's the "pretty people versus the outsiders" story, there's a moment that turns it on its head and really causes us to look within ourselves and wonder if we're really being treated differently by the pretty people - or if that's what we think is happening.

The film would be nothing without the family, and we get to meet the eccentric and very well-meaning Knight family in all their offbeat glory.  The film opens with a younger Zak and Saraya fighting, and instead of trying to break them up, their parents give them suggestions of how to take the other down.  The relationship between the family members is the heart of the film, and even though they're not your typical family, they have a super tight bond that connects them in powerful ways, and they truly look out for one another.  The film has several funny moments, but the best is when they meet Zak's girlfriend's parents for the first time, who are very prim and proper people, while they are definitely not.

The film's heart is the family, and the performers clearly have a very good chemistry together.  Nick Frost and Lena Headey play the parents with offbeat humor and sincere emotion, and are also not afraid to speak their minds as well.  Jack Lowden shows Zak as a headstrong man who wants to pursue his dream - even as he seemingly views the world through a narrow lens and forgets all the magic that's around him.  Yet it's Florence Pugh who truly owns the film as Paige, a girl who struggles with her own identity and who she is both in and out of the ring, and who finds her inner strength through her family.  It's downright inspiring, which is something I wasn't expecting from a WWE film.  Plus, Dwayne Johnson (who also produced the film) gives a couple cameo performances that really steal the show - The Rock returns and we can definitely smell what he's cooking - a fantastic biopic that features a beautifully eccentric family and the rise of a truly powerful woman.

The Synopsis:
While it tends to follow its own tropes unapologetically, "Fighting With My Family" is elevated by a fantastic performance and an emotional story about finding your own voice and standing tall when you feel like giving up.

The Score: A+