This movie is so much better than I thought it would be.
I caught it back when it came out in 2019. I intended to review it, but I could not figure out anything to write about it.
This movie is an enjoyable rags-to-riches story with strong performances that manages to avoid some obvious pitfalls and ends on an effective high note. Outside of the original context, there is nothing particularly original about it.
But there is nothing wrong about it. This movie is perfect in its solidness.
The film is sprinkled with humour, but there is no mean-spiritedness directed atPaige's oddball family. The jokes are based around reversals of expectations (such as the opening scene, in which Paige’s dad breaks up a childhood fight only to show the kids how to apply proper wrestling holds. The movie shows the Knight family as outsiders, but they are loving and close-knit. They are also involved in their local community.Based on the clips of their real analogues during the credits, the movie is not that far off.
Florence Pugh brings a forcefulness and sense of self-awareness to Paige - she is very conscientious of her commitments to her family, but the movie highlights how closed off she is from the other trainees - she does not recognise them as people who are in the same boat.
As her brother Zak, Jack Lowden is just as good. He is hilarious and braggadocious in the early parts of the film - he might not have what it takes to reach the same heights as his sister, but Lowden is believable as a charismatic leader in the community. Without a lot of dialogue, he does a good job of shattering that exterior as the character realises his dream is no longer in his reach.
The subplot with Zak her brother is the real meat of the movie - the filmmakers intercut Paige’s awkward introduction to American p Professional wWrestling with her brother’s descent into depression and detachment from his family. The one sliver of reality in the American portion of the film is Vince Vaughn’s (as Paige’s WWE trainer) monologue in which he explains to Paige what would happen if her brother made it to the big leagues. The resolution of this plot line packs equal weight to Paige’s first appearance on television.
I cannot help reading the presence of Dwayne Johnson through the prism of his current place in pop culture. After watching the last couple of his movies, and reading critiques of his persona, it feels like he is increasingly unwilling to play human beings. He is the Rock, the benevolent mentor. Johnson did not even know about Paige until he saw the documentary this movie is based on.
His presence highlighted one aspect of the film that I am still conflicted about. The film feels like two halves - one a scrappy underdog story in a working-class British context; the other the sunnier and blander sports training drama.
It is this section of the film which feels scrubbed and clean. This second half of the movie does feel a little more prosaic, and probably because it is essentially a small-scale version of a sports movie: Paige starts training; it is really hard; she works hard; and she wins. Even the subplot of Paige learning to respect the other prospective wrestlers feels functional but lacks the specificity and lived-in quality of the first section of the movie.
Ultimately, while the second half does feel familiar, it does not sink the movie. It does mean that Fighting WIth My Family does not quite have the kind of visceral thrill that the filmmakers probably intended.
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