USUALLY A FUN CAPTION TELLING YOU THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW ACCOMPANIES THE ARTICLE HERE, BUT TO BE BRUTALLY HONEST, I DON’T KNOW ANYWHERE NEAR ENOUGH ABOUT WRESTLING TO MAKE A WITTY PUN.

Stephen Merchant is an anomaly. That rare character in the film industry who started off doing British TV comedy (with The Office), vanished off the face of the Earth for a decade, and is now enjoying a career resurgence, both in terms of acting with his dramatic role in Logan, and with his solo directorial debut in feature film. Now, if you’d told me he’d pick a wrestling movie about Paige for his next project a little while ago, I would have probably glared at you in a condescending manner. Furthermore, if you’d told me he’d be reteaming with Dwayne Johnson to make said film, following their previous pairing on screen in Tooth Fairy, I would have probably folded my arms while delivering that glare to really hammer home the message. But here we are, with both of those things becoming a reality. Does Merchant succeed in pulling off this ambitious foray into biopic direction? In a great deal of respects, very much so.

Fighting with My Family is a comedy-drama biopic telling the story of female WWE Superstar Paige. It is written and directed by Stephen Merchant, with Dwayne Johnson serving as executive producer. The movie stars an ensemble cast featuring the Merchant and the Rock, as well as Florence Pugh as Paige and Jack Lowden, Lena Headey, Nick Frost and Vince Vaughn. The film tells the story of how Paige came from a wrestling family in Norwich to become the most famous female wrestler working today (I hope I got that right: if for some reason I’m wrong, blame my worryingly limited knowledge of wrestling 🙂 ). I should make a point of saying that whilst this is a wrestling movie, it isn’t one which requires you to know all that much about WWE, or even Paige. This is a refreshingly simple and funny biographical sports movie, with a strong and heartfelt message about family, which doesn’t require a full knowledge over the reality in which it’s based to be enjoyed by an audience.

This is a real underdog story, and Merchant’s filmmaking style is perfectly suited to this. There are jokes, but there are also emotional moments. If I were to class this movie, it would be especially difficult, as it’s part comedy, part drama, and part uplifting rise-to-success story. I came in expecting the movie to be funnier than it actually is, although in this case that didn’t affect the quality of the movie. The jokes are sharp and witty, even if the movie isn’t joke-a-minute, and I feel this is a clever choice. It means that the jokes aren’t overbearing on the storytelling. You can tell the immense respect the creators had for the inspirational rise of Paige, and that admiration and passion comes out in the final product.

One thing I will make clear is that I feel Stephen Merchant has more of a presence as a writer than a director. His script is witty and well-paced, however if I hadn’t known he was directing in advance, I could have guessed any number of directors directed this movie. That being said, the movie doesn’t need flashy directorial ticks to work, and in many ways its more grounded look makes it feel more down-to-earth and believable. I particularly enjoyed the emotional scenes and themes, and the way that Fighting with My Family manages to boast both character conflicts and struggles as well as an uplifting tone and feel. Sure, most people will go to see this movie for either the Rock, the jokes and irreverent wit of Merchant, or as fans of wrestling in general, but this works as a motivational story in its own right. If you’re wondering why it’s so much like that, it’s because the movie idea is based off a documentary the Rock happened to catch whilst shooting a movie in Britain.

Let’s discuss the cast. Florence Pugh is likeable as Paige, and I enjoyed watching her character develop, plus she has a strong comic delivery in addition to being able to tackle emotional scenes. Her report with her brother, played by Jack Lowden, was very entertaining, and Lowden proves to be a talented actor. I certainly feel Nick Frost gets many of the best laughs, and he’s perfectly cast as Paige’s father, able to provide his trademark ‘Nick Frost boisterousness’. The Rock himself is only in the movie briefly, but he’s hilarious (I’ve always maintained that he’s got solid comedic chops), and Vince Vaughn gets to have a blast in a 12a/PG-13 similar replaying of his Hacksaw Ridge character who stole the show in that movie.

Ultimately, if I was to nit-pick, it would be over how the final fight sequence, despite the references to wrestling being staged, feels like a Rocky movie ‘final fight’ or something akin to that. Obviously that’s just a small logical misstep, something I’m sure not many audience members will pick up on, but it does make the finale much more entertaining. Only a hyper critic with no heart would pick up on that (i.e. me). Whilst you don’t have to be familiar with wrestling to see this movie, I do feel I would be more smitten with it if I understood the craze or exactly what endears this sport to people and makes wrestling so fantastic. That being said, this was uplifting escapism, with surprising heart and witty dialogue. Thumbs up for Fighting with My Family.

VERDICT: STELLAR

I guess it turns out Stephen is a Merchant of great storytelling… no?

Excusing that awful pun, thank you for reading my review. Any likes and shares would be very much appreciated, and you can also follow my website if you like what you’re reading and have a WordPress account. Aside from that, all there is left to say is that I bid you adieu! 🙂