Fighting with My Family: Film Review

Fighting with My Family: Film Review

Cast: Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, The Rock, Vince Vaughn
Director: Stephen Merchant

Much like a wrestling match itself, Fighting With My Family is a crowd-pleasing piece of performance, that occasionally flounders on the ropes, but ultimately wins with a KO.

Based on the true story of Saraya-Jade Bevis (aka Paige), this sports underdog yarn boasts all the feels and heart of your typical sporting movie.

Pugh and Lowden are sister and brother, Saraya and Zak, whose UK lives have been shaped permanently by wrestling, as they've been brought up by their parents (Frost and Headey, both amiable and amusing, but grounded and real), who are wrestling-obsessed.

When the duo get a chance to try out for the WWE in the US under Vince Vaughn's talent scout , not everything goes to plan...and could potentially open up a chasm between the family.

Fighting With My Family is essentially a Christmas movie, with Dwayne Johnson playing Fairy Godfather.

Its beats are familiar, and its genre tropes are all ticked off as it powers through its running time.

And yet, it's more than watchable fare that has a gooey heart to show, as well as an inspiring story of girl Paige's rise to the top. (Pertinent in these times, obviously).

It helps that Pugh and Lowden make a good on screen brother and sister, with Lowden dealing well with a complex and realistic arc as events transpire; he manages to elevate the cliches into something that's eminently identifiable, and gives his arc of finding your place in the world a fresh feel despite its hoary familiarity.

Equally, Pugh builds on promise demonstrated in the likes of Lady MacBeth to show a tough, but occasionally vulnerable, woman trying to make her way in a man's world.

Merchant's script gives the lion's share of the one-liners to Frost, who delivers them with the usual aplomb, and to crowd-pleasing knockout effect. But the script's also smart enough to occasionally pull the rug from under you, and deft writing helps sell some of the more improbable edges.

While Merchant's directing is fairly formulaic, he does give the wrestling both at the WWE and in the UK heartland a sense of place, scale and nuance that's commendable.

Ultimately, Fighting With My Family is a nicely packaged piece about family as well as hopes and dreams. It's a knockout piece of fun that delivers where it should and is unashamedly happy to be feelgood where it counts.