FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY is a rags to riches movie based on true events, harnessing the popularity of WWE with the variation of a female wrestling nobody elevated to sports star celebrity status. Fighting With My Family is out on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download now.
The movie focuses on the story of Saraya “Paige” Bevis (Pugh) and her background and family the Knights. The Knight family dad Ricky ( Nick Frost), mum Julia (Lena Headey/ Game of Thrones), son Zak and daughter Saraya are all wrestling fanatics, they put on wrestling shows and train others in rural Norwich. Always aiming for the big time Paige and her brother are called up for a WWE tryout, however the coach Hutch (Vince Vaughn/ Dodge Ball) ends up choosing only Saraya. Her brother is devastated and she has to leave England and her home alone, going to Florida and has to deal with the drastic change in her life and the hard road to fame and fortune.
There has not really been a WWE film about a wrestler’s rise to fame that is based on a true story, this gives the movie an edge. You do not need to be a wrestling fan to absolutely adore the film. Florence does an amazing job portraying Paige to the point that you would think they are twins. The story itself is very heart-warming and incredible combining an underdog story with wrestling action, making it very entertaining for people who love wrestling and for those who do not really know much about the sport. It has at least a half dozen hilarious moments, a few moments where you become very emotionally attached to the character and toward the end of the exhilarating grand finale. To give an example of the comedy what could be better than a vanload of aspiring wrestling youngsters doing the sing along to Iron Maiden!
There are great appearances from Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson, as an inspiring guru to the wannabe wrestlers; additionally Dwayne is a producer and investor in this movie.
If you are a fan of sports wrestling or not, ‘Fighting With My Family’ is a great mix of comedy and drama that will entertain the majority of the viewers.
Stephen Merchant, who is best known for directing the TV Comedy ‘The Office’, starring Ricky Gervais, surprisingly directs the film. Newcomer Florence Pugh, an English actress who is best known for her appearance in the TV Mini-Series ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ and in 2018 she was nominated for a BAFTA EE Rising Star Award plays the lead role in this movie. Her co-star is the well-seasoned comic Nick Frost, much loved for his appearances with Simon Pegg in films like ‘Hot Fuzz’ (2007).
The production of this urban British family comedy movie is between a conglomerate of film companies including MGM, Film 4 and studios WWE to name but a few. The WWE studio has started producing films a little more regularly since its beginning in 1989 with ‘No Holds Barred’ starring wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. One of these recent offerings includes ‘Birth of the Dragon’ (2017) with Philip Ng.
Fighting With My Family is out on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download now.
Writer: James D Staton
Love watching Simon at British Got talante !