Fighting with My Family - Review

Fighting with My Family

Starring Florence Pugh (Lady MacBeth), DeWayne "The Rock" Johnson, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) and Vince Vaughn (The Wedding Crashers), the film “Fighting with My Family” is a true story heartwarming film about a close knit family and their collective obsession with wrestling.

“Paige” (Pugh) and her brother “Zak” are close siblings who think and breathe being professional wrestlers in the working class suburbs of London. On a long short chance they submit a video for an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE in the USA that actually results in a phone call from a man named “Hutch” (Vaughn) who is in charge of recruiting new talent for the highly popular US entertainment sport.

But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige's journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.

REVIEW: To my astonishment this is a very solid film, with solid performances and overall a genuinely smart story that moves earnestly and honesty along for 1:47 minutes. And while it has some generic momentary lapses in its screenplay, the material never fails in showing that loving families can come in all shapes, social economic layers and cultures with real authentic humanity, emotions and warmth. And while it is a story that is part sports entertainment film and the other part a light hearted drama with some dabbles of well place humor, “Fighting with My Family” consistently delivers loads of great weekend entertainment for you to see.

There were no directorial hiccups in the story; it works every frame. Its also never offers up any major or significant surprises along the way nor does is spring any mysterious subplots to consider or distract you with. It always stays in its cinematic lane of just being about one nuclear family who in their own minds were uniquely born to being a bunch of bad asses of the wrestling ring first, second, third and last. And when all else fails get up fight and try again and again. A family while obsessed with wrestling (oddly - strangely) it is also a family filled with charisma, charm and energy with exceptionally genuine displays of big love for one another. 

But even with all of the fine performances all around as its clear obvious strength, the inescapable fact for me personally was once again being a witness to the work of British actress Catherine Pugh. She reaffirmed my initial opinion of her as a truly rising star in the film industry as I noted in my review of her in the 2017 stirring performance as the calculating and manipulative young bride in “Lady MacBeth”. The 23 year old Pugh is someone who has an uncanny natural talented ability to just command all of your attentions on her character from the very beginning of any project she is in. She is remarkably versatile in her latest effort here. 

So whether you see it now or rent it, be sure at some point just to see “Fighting with My Family”. It is an excellent inspirational tale of a family following their collective dreams with a dogged determination to making it - compelling it to come true.

3.75 Stars