‘Fighting with My Family’ Review: A Wrestling Biopic Filled with Heart, Humor and Bodyslams

There have been more than a few dynamite documentaries set in the world of professional wrestling but only a handful of dramatized versions with the bar set awfully low for what would be considered a watchable film.

If “The Wrestler” starring Mickey Rourke is the best of the best and “Ready to Rumble” is the somewhere swimming in the sewer, then you’ll be happy to know that “Fighting with My Family” — the new biopic based on the real life of former WWE superstar Paige — is definitely near the top of the list now.

Based on the documentary “The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family” — a one-hour special that ran in England following the Bevis family, a real life pro wrestling brood — the film version centers mostly around Saraya Jade-Bevis better known by her professional wrestling moniker Paige.

Stephen Merchant — one half of the writing team behind the original British version of ‘The Office’ — handles writing and directing duties on this movie and he offers up a truly inspiring story about an outsider trying to find her way into the wrestling business.

“Fighting with My Family” follows a young Saraya from her earliest days learning hammer locks with her brother Zak in the living room to the days when they were grappling with each other inside the ring while going up against their own mother and father (who were also wrestlers of course).

Ricky the dad is an ex-con (mostly for violence but some robbery) and Saraya the mom is a former homeless cast out who connects with her future husband through a passion for professional wrestling. Together they raise three children who are all drawn to wrestling while they run their own promotion out of Norwich, England.

When WWE comes to the United Kingdom, Saraya and Zak get called into a tryout and both are convinced that their dreams will come true. Sadly when the tryouts are finished, only Saraya gets picked to join the WWE developmental roster while Zak is left behind in England with a new baby on the way and a bit of jealousy that his baby sister is off to America while he’s still stuck at home.

It’s when Saraya transforms into Paige and arrives at WWE does the story really start taking turns as she struggles to adjust to new surroundings where she is constantly seen as the odd woman out while her brother suffers through the same ills at home trying to figure out where he fits in without his own dreams being realized.

Florence Pugh, who portrays Paige, is really the breakout star in this movie and it’s a requirement because she’s forced to do a lot of the heavy lifting for the emotional storytelling throughout the film. Pugh does a remarkable job playing Paige both from her physicality in the ring to the real turmoil she faces when trying to find where the square peg fits into the round hole at WWE.

The rest of the cast fills out nicely, especially with the remainder of Paige’s family. Jack Lowden shines as her brother Zak with Nick Frost and ‘Game of Thrones’ star Lena Headey offering the perfect amount of encouragement and humor as their parents.

Vince Vaughn plays the other lead role as the tough-as-nails yet quietly encouraging WWE trainer, who recruits Paige. Vaughn’s dry sense of humor plays well in this role, although admittedly the cookie cutter part of a drill sergeant with a heart of gold feels like something we’ve seen play out in virtually every sports movie in history.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also pops up as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — a role he was born to play.  There are a few cameos from other professional wrestlers but this doesn’t feel like a movie that’s trying to play ‘spot your favorite WWE superstar’.

Instead, “Fighting with My Family” is a warmhearted and genuinely funny family film wrapped up in a wrestling movie.

Hardcore wrestling fans will see some parts of Paige’s life being dramatized and others left out entirely but for a 100-minute, PG-13 film, some stuff is going to get sacrificed to the cutting room floor.

What remains in “Fighting with My Family” is a charming and uplifting comedy-drama that will leave you with a proud smile on your face when the final bell tolls.