Fighting with My Family

Surprisingly, everything I feared here works very well. Dwayne Johnson fulfils his role of adored icon to perfection, the humour is not embarrassing or trodden, and wrestling is a welcome spin on boxing, especially in the performance of the charismatic and emotional Florence Pugh. The tried-and-tested template is strictly adhered to, but everything works as it should, and the supporting characters are mostly not just numbers. Pleasant little surprise. 75% (05/03/2019)

A young Englishwoman gets a chance to fight her way into the prestigious wrestling organization WWE. She knows she'll have to work very hard for it, but she doesn't count on how much this chance will affect the lives of those closest to her. Stephen Merchant delivers a brisk feel-good biopic from an unusual setting with fun characters and an incredibly fine Florence Pugh in the lead role. You should see Fighting with My Family for her alone. But even the rest is well above average. (06/18/2019)

I was so, so close to giving this film five stars. What annoyed me was the occasional moralizing and melodrama, but that’s about it. Nick Frost was perfect, his character was certainly different from his standard "suit" roles. In fact, the whole Knight family was great. I also think that wrestling was shown in a slightly different light (sure, it's pre-planned, but it's for real) and I was more than happy with the number of funny lines. // "You're a teenager and you're blind. What else are you gonna do today? Listen to porn?" 4*+ (08/04/2019)

Aside from The Wrestler, no film from this setting had really come to mind until Fighting with My Family came along. I was expecting a pretty over-the-top spectacle, playing up to something more with various crude jokes. But instead, I got a solid family drama where the comedy genre plays a supportive role. Stephen Merchant surprised me with how sensitively he handles the emotional moments while effectively delivering the humorous side. Florence Pugh convincingly played the lead role, and Vince Vaughn, in a supporting role, pleasantly surprised me (why doesn’t this talented actor get more serious roles? He truly has enormous potential). Dwayne Johnson appeared on screen for only a few minutes, but he nailed his portrayal of himself (the moments with him on screen are among the best). Some jokes didn’t land, but overall, most hit the mark, so that also deserves a thumbs up. It probably won’t rank among the best films of the past year, but I definitely acknowledge that the time spent watching Fighting with My Family was worthwhile. It’s an enjoyable watch. I’m giving it 75%. (04/14/2020)

On the surface Fighting with My Family is a mediocre biopic set in female wrestling, but it works thanks to a decently written story and the believable performances of Florence Pugh, Nick Frost and The Rock. Thanks to the overbearing parents, the film had a humorous edge that balanced out the ordeal Paige had to go through on her way to her dream goal. In the end, this is a very enjoyable little film! (11/02/2019)