My relationship with wrestling is an unusual one. Where as most wrestling fans started watching when they were a kid and either continued watching or fell out of love with it, I only started to watch wrestling when I was 19. Before this I had no interest outside of the video games. But, one year on a whim I decided to watch Wrestlemania and I have been hooked since, even learning the history, the lingo and the inner workings of the wrestling world. I was therefore very excited when Fighting with My Family (2019) was announced to be in the works. A mainstream film about wrestling instantly peaked my interest, and with it being a biopic based on Paige, whose work as a wrestler I really enjoy, I became even more intrigued. But with this intrigue came the inevitable desire for the film to be great and the worry that it may not live up to my expectations. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed. It may not have been a really great film, but I enjoyed it quite a bit and my inner wrestling nerd was more than satisfied. The film follows the true story of Saraya Knight (Florence Pugh) and her family who are all wrestlers and wrestle in their own promotion, WAW. When WWE comes to the UK both Saraya and her brother, Zak (Jack Lowden), are invited to try out. Zak is rejected but Saraya is taken on and flown out to Florida to train. The film then cuts between Saraya and her training, showing her facing home sickness, a new culture and feeling like an outcast,and also Zak's struggle with the rejection of the WWE and the toll it takes on his daily life.
Any film that opens with "IF YOU SMEEEEEEEEEEEELL... What The Rock... Is cooking!" is instantly going to get me on side. As a wrestling nerd I was not going to be able to do this review without pointing out the aspects of the film which spoke to me on that level. The use of archive wrestling footage, cameos by current day wrestlers and authentic sets all got me smiling with my big nerd smile, even if some liberties were taken with some of the more wrestling orientated recreations. I also enjoyed the use of wrestling jargon and speak throughout the film, especially as they don't take the time out to explain what every term means. This could have been a problem for wider audiences, but it is used sparingly and explained in the actions of the characters rather than them verbally explaining it which makes everything feel more authentic and that is props to the script. Aspects of the script are brilliant. The dialogue is great, being both witty and genuine,with all the characters interactions feeling real. It is also a script which clearly has a big respect for wrestling and the passion within the wrestling community for it. Unfortunately, I felt like the plot was a bit play by numbers. Now, with the film being a dramatised version of real events I have no idea how close a lot of this is to real life, but the story itself is one that has been seen before with a wrestling setting put on top of it. This means that the narrative structure and even some creative choices are predictable, with a training montage being a great example of this. This does not make the film bad. It is a tried and tested narrative structure and it works for the context of this story, it just isn't as interesting as I had hoped.
When it comes to a film about wrestling the most important aspect is the wrestling and I feel like the scenes where wrestling is shown are the strongest aspects. The choreography of the matches are very good and everyone involved made them look real. I know wrestling is a performance, but it is still very physical and it would have been easy to hold off on the physicality, but the film goes all in and does really well in giving realistic wrestling matches. The best scenes come with the wrestling action at WAW. These moments capture small scale indie wrestling brilliantly, showing all the ways they go to put on a great show on a smaller scale, including a great scene where Ricky Knight (Nick Frost) asks one of his wrestlers what punishment he is willing to take by hitting him in the face with a bin lid and throwing a bowling ball in to his nether regions. As for performances in general everyone does a good job, with Florence Pugh being the stand out. Jack Lowden is good in his role, being very sympathetic and doing well in showing a happy, determined man go down a dark path after his rejection by WWE and becoming utterly depressed. Lena Heady is also very good as Julia Knight. She shines through a love of wrestling as well as a real love for her family and it is an emotionally powered performance. Nick Frost pretty much plays Nick Frost, but I enjoy him as performer and so I enjoyed him here as well. One concern I had going in was Vince Vaughan, but he puts in a good performance as WWE trainer Hutch. He is relatable and engaging whilst also being able to pull off the hard-arse military like trainer quite well. But, like I said, Florence Pugh is the star. Every emotional moment she performs brilliantly, from the highest highs to the lowest lows and everything in between. She also has great comedic timing and an awkward timidness which works perfectly with the real life person she is portraying. She puts in a brilliant performance and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.
Fighting with My Family is a very fun film with some great comedic writing and performances and also with a lot of heart and respect towards its subject matter. The way it portrays wrestling never becomes undermining or poking fun, and actually shows wrestling in a way where people who may have a certain view of it will have their mind changed. This brings me to the aspect of the film that I thought may be a problem going in and that was if non-wreslting fans would find the film accessible and enjoyable. After seeing the film I feel like that they definitely will. There is enough here narratively that even if you have no interest in wrestling you can find some level of relatability in the film, and the performances and writing are good enough to keep you engaged. Although I feel like you will get more from the film if you are a wrestling fan going in, I think it will be equally as enjoyable for non-wrestling fans and so I would definitely recommend it. And who knows, if you weren't a wrestling fan going in to the film, you may very well be one when you leave it.