Fighting with My Family (2019) | Film Review

Growing up, I was always watching World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly World Wrestling Federation). There’s just something about the sport that always captivated me as a youth. So it should come as no surprise that as soon as the trailer for Fighting with My Family was released, I knew I had to see it. Thankfully, I was not disappointed, as it made me smile from the end of the previews to the final credit reel.

When you are a member of the Knight wrestling family, you grow up in the squared-circle. The movie follows Saraya “Paige” Knight (based on the real-life story of Paige Bevis) and her amateur wrestling family who run the WAW (World Association of Wrestling) in Norwich, England, as they journey to make it on to the WWE professional roster. Paige trains with her older brother Zak, who could tell a wrestler from his boots since the age of three. When Paige and Zak both attend a tryout in London for NXT, the development league for the WWE, Paige gets accepted and Zak – rejected. This sets the ring for a great story of a supportive family environment, and how tough the journey trying to make it to the Big League can be.

Of particular note is the casting of the film. Florence Pugh did an exceptional job portraying Paige, a young female with a strong sense of hard work and leadership, despite being chastised for being a “freak”. Paige’s parents were played by Nick Frost (who looks like Robert Baratheon with a Mohawk) and Lena Headey who still looks beautiful as ever.

While Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson steals the show with his brief wrestling promos, Vince Vaughn truly stands out with his performance as the tough wrestling trainer and supportive leader, Hutch Morgan. Of course, Vaughn brings his trademark one-liners to the role while critiquing promos and character names, but he also brings a level of drama to the character.

I wanted to see this movie because I grew up watching wrestling my whole life and I remember watching Paige’s WWE debut. Fighting with My Family has some tremendous wrestling cameos, a musical score of note, and a lot of eye-candy. This story doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s no Rocky or future Oscar winner, but it is a great film about family with a powerful message on following your dreams and never giving up.