Based on a documentary, Fighting with My Family is the story of how WWE Diva Paige entered professional wrestling and the upbringing that led to her career. Paige Knight (Florence Pugh; Lady Macbeth) comes from a very strange family. Her parents, played by Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), are wrestlers and run their own independent wrestling association using their own children and any other interested parties in the ring. Paige has grown up dreaming of becoming a professional wrestler and gets an opportunity to make that dream a reality when the WWE comes to town looking for recruits.
Nearly unrecognizable in her role, Florence Pugh is terrific. She plays Paige as a sharp-witted, hard-working but believably insecure woman who is coming dangerously close to the future she and her family have always dreamed of. The role is a marked departure from the period pieces Pugh has become known for. Her goth-like, foul-mouthed Paige is the epitome of a rebellious outsider as she visibly clashes with the former models and cheerleaders that make up the rest of her fellow recruits. At times, she can be overly hostile to her peers, but the unfriendly behavior is quickly revealed as a defense mechanism for her own self-doubt. Pugh is able to balance the tough exterior and uncertain thoughts naturally, making Paige the irreverent, but relatable lead needed to carry the film.
Director Stephen Merchant’s writing adds warmth and humor to the predictable plot. The narrative follows what is expected of a sports biopic with the necessary small-time beginnings, personal and professional struggles, and an expected outcome but with plenty of laughs along the way. Much of the humor comes from the flippant attitude of the Knight family. They wholesale reject anything outside of their one true cause with little awareness or regard for societal norms. Merchant subtly uses this comical level of devotion to add heart to the film. Yes, the idea of a family dedicating themselves to their little attended, barely sustainable wrestling show is ridiculous, but the sport is inextricably tied to their identity and familial bonds. Wrestling is what unites and connects them in a way that goes beyond pastimes or hobbies. Wrestling is a religion to the Knight family and their sincere commitment creates both the absurdity and genuine heart that bring life to the film.
It might be blatant advertising for the WWE, but it’s impossible to deny its effectiveness. No aspect of the film feels cold or designed by a brand strategy team. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson makes a cameo and spends his brief screen time grinning with pride, revealing the film for what it truly is: a passion project. With a strong supporting cast like Headey and Frost, the film has talent to spare and their performances take this story based on a sport that many look down upon and make it universal, even to those who dislike wrestling. Fighting with My Family becomes about more than athletic achievement. It’s about family, dreams, and the dedication it takes to achieve them, all packaged in a thick wrapping of hilariously crass, cheeky attitude.
4/5 stars.