Review: Fighting with my Family

As part of a tight-knit but low-rent wrestling family, siblings Paige (Florence Pugh) and Zak (Jack Lowden) fight in the ring and look out for each other outside of it. Zak’s dream is to wrestle in the WWE: Paige might have the moves, but she isn’t quite as committed. Still, when they’re both offered the chance to try out when the WWE hits London, neither wants to pass it up – but only one (okay, it’s Paige) makes it in. 

Based on the true story of WWE wrestler Paige, director Stephen Merchant focuses as much on her scrappy family (Nick Frost and Lena Headey play her rough but loving parents) as on her journey to the top. It's a strange mix of working class family comedy and sports aspirational movie, one half jokes about her parents sordid past and wrestling in pubs, one half glossy training montages on Florida beaches.

It's not surprising then that some stretches of this drift a little, especially in the second half. But Vince Vaughn as the head scout / trainer is excellent (as is The Rock, who appears as himself in a handful of scenes), playing a character who is basically your typical Army movie drill sergeant - you know, he's gruff but he still (sort of) cares, plus he gets to let fly with a lot of choice "motivational" insults.

Meanwhile, Zak’s struggle to figure out a path in life that doesn’t lead to pro wrestling (or to selling drugs down the local council flats) is predictable but still packs a punch, in part because Paige isn't sure she wants the life she's lucked into either.  She's a goth in a world of blonde models (who she can barely hide her scorn for), but her rough and ready wrestling style might not fit in with the WWE's more polished approach.

Merchant (who also wrote the script) is more than happy to lean into the quirky side of his characters without sacrificing their heart. Frost and Headey take full advantage of this, going broad without going over the top. It's the combination of solid (if predictable) storytelling and offbeat characters that makes this drama so funny (or this comedy so moving). It's occasionally rough around the edges, but like its characters, that's a big part of the charm.

- Anthony Morris