World Wrestling Entertainment Studios has always had something of a stigma attached to it. Originating from the world of professional wrestling, the studio is known for using its own in-house talent as a cheap source of labor and producing a string of “straight-to-video” style movies. That said, using this model, they have steadily built the brand and partnered with other production studios to make interesting originals such as The Call (2013), Oculus (2014), and Sleight (2017). Whether or not transitioning to the next level as a production house is in the cards, Fighting with My Family is a remarkably thoughtful and heartfelt look at the wrestling business and the best film to come out of WWE Studios so far.
Stephen Merchant wouldn’t have been the first name that came to mind when picking a writer/director to tell the story of WWE Superstar Paige but it all came together well. This is technically adapted from the British Channel 4 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting With my Family but, naturally, creative license was taken in the transformation to a biopic. He had only directed one other feature film but his dearth of experience writing, directing, and acting on television gave him a crucial foundation for character building that helped elevate this film beyond many of its studio-mates. Much to his credit, Merchant beautifully balanced the cartoonish side of the in-ring personas and their wild antics with the very human side of the people who become those characters. The well-paced, emotional script dutifully focuses on their aspirations, shortcomings, and eventually their triumphs. In many ways, this is much less of a wrestling movie than its billing would suggest. Sure, this does all unfold within the world of pro wrestling and there’s a fair amount of well-choreographed in-ring sequences but its a story of adversity and perseverance that everyone can get behind on some level. While he probably wasn’t the obvious choice, the 44-year-old comedy veteran was able to humanize wrestlers in a way that few others have ever been able to.
Donning the proverbial spandex tights was Florence Pugh, playing the lead as Saraya Jade Bevis, aka Paige. I named Pugh as Breakthrough Performer of the Year in 2017 for her role in Lady Macbeth and she brought that unique spark with her to the ring. She has a fiery intensity that gave the character roots but the focus was more on her position as an outcast and the growing pains associated with her WWE tryouts. This was a good role in terms of exposure and it allowed her to showcase some of her comedic sides as well but it was really Jack Lowden (Mary Queen of Scots) who stole the show as her big brother Zac Zodiac. He has a much more volatile character arc and watching his unbridled enthusiasm turn into crushing depression was the most important part of making this story tangible. Without some kind of substantial consequence at stake, the whole movie may have skimmed the surface and ricocheted off into irrelevance. Not to undercut anyone else but Lowden’s emotional and shockingly intense portrayal was the definitive takeaway from the film. I’ll seriously have to consider him for Breakthrough Performer this year.
As a character-centric movie, the supporting cast played a large part in making this work too. Casting Director Shaheen Baig went out and got the always hilarious, one-of-a-kind Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) to play Paige’s dad Ricky Knight and everyone’s least favorite Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) as her mother Julia. The two of them are such an odd couple and Heady was almost unrecognizable, so it worked wonderfully without stealing thunder from the main focus. Vince Vaughn also played a big part as the journeyman wrestler turned coach who helps push and challenge Paige. Baig could have gotten plenty of people to play Hutch but not many could have done it with Vaughn’s combination of humor and heart. In many instances that would have been almost a throwaway role but adding Vaughn to the cast brought much more than just his name. Let’s not forget Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who lent his valuable time and sizeable talent to the project as well. It was really a treat to see him bring back the on-screen persona that made him famous and temper that with the experience he’s gained over the years.
Clearly, this isn’t a movie that gets by its technical prowess. Not to say it wasn’t well made but that’s not the strength. If the title didn’t give it away, this is a film about family…both inside the ring and out. No matter where you come from or where you’re going, that’s a relatable topic.
Recommendation: Obviously, this is going to appeal to WWE fans more than general audiences but it’s made more non-fans just as much. This was a really nice way to bridge the gap between those two groups and deliver entertainment for the whole family.