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By Nathan Hurlbut
Based on the true story of World Wrestling Entertainment’s superstar Paige Bevis, “Fighting with My Family” has its roots in the documentary about her life, “The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family”.
As the story goes, Dwayne “ The Rock” Johnson saw that documentary, and was impressed enough with Paige’s life story that he wanted to turn it into a feature film. He ended up executive producing this movie based on her life, and agreed to play a role in the film as well, providing it with a degree of movie star appeal.
However, there’s no denying the film belongs to young actress Florence Pugh. Shining amongst an impressive cast, Pugh’s heartfelt portrayal of Paige is the film’s most critical asset. She creates a passionate central character with a potent onscreen charm that truly sells the movie.
The movie was written and directed by Stephen Merchant, who is probably best known as Ricky Gervais’ partner in the creative team behind the British television show “The Office”, on which the American remake with Steve Carrell is based.
This flair for comedy is evident throughout “Fighting with my Family” too, even if it strays into a broader realm than Merchant has previously displayed. Considering this is Merchant’s first solo venture into feature filmmaking, it may reveal his desire to appeal to the largest possible audience.
For example, one scene where Paige’s family meets her brother Zak’s girlfriend’s parents relies heavily on familiar culture-clash cliches, and has fairly predictable, if also very funny, results.
However, scenes like this are saved by the film’s sympathetic portrayal of the eccentricities of Paige’s unique family. The movie displays their quirkiness with affection rather than condescension, and succeeds in creating real characters with which you can’t help but root for. Plus, the level of wit on display here is vital, overcoming the familiarity of this underdog story with clever banter and memorable lines of dialogue.
Amidst this humor, the film also provides a surprisingly unsentimental look at the professional wrestling world. Paige’s brother Zak is forced to deal with bitter disappointment as he is passed over by WWE recruiters. His struggle to accept personal failure is given as much attention here as his sister Paige’s struggle to succeed. It portrays both sides of the drama of pursuing stardom with equally unflinching honesty.
In fact, Vince Vaughn, playing no-nonsense coach Hutch Morgan here, delivers a brilliantly sobering speech describing Zak’s potential future if he refuses to give up on his dream. The fact that this career path turns out to be something Hutch is all too familiar with himself drives the point home all the more forcefully.
Meanwhile, his tough approach to Paige’s punishing training reveals a more complicated scenario than first impression might suggest. By providing her with the skills to succeed in a ridiculously punishing profession, it delivers a potent dose of reality amidst all the performers’ posturing.
The fact that “Fighting with my Family” is based on a true story only helps lend credence to the emotional struggles these characters are forced to endure. The obstacles Paige overcomes in the pursuit of her dream are persuasively portrayed here in a convincing central performance, and makes Paige’s eventual fate all the more emotionally satisfying in the end.