Fighting with My Family

Surprise of the year? At first glance, Fighting with my Family seemed like an indie festival film that no one will remember after a week, but the unexpectedly very positive reviews and its release in cinemas did the film a lot of good and I left the cinema very satisfied. Florence Pugh, who kick-started her career last year with Outlaw King, is absolutely excellent, her career is going to take off rapidly with the upcoming Midsommar and Little Women. The film deals with the rather novel subject of wrestling and with a socially disadvantaged family who have and can do nothing but wrestle. Everything changes when the son and daughter are invited to a WWE casting. The first act manages dry British black humour with very solid lines. After that the film becomes more of a sports drama, yet very powerful, moving and entertaining. Vince Vaughn is rightly stern as the trainer, and I must say that his progression from an average comedian to a very solid actor was very unexpected, but he already played the captain perfectly in Hacksaw Ridge, his transformation was most striking in Brawl in Cell Block 99, and we'll see what he does in Dragged Across Concrete. The Rock in a smaller role is a delight and there are brief glimpses of wrestling legends. I shed a tear during the finale, so satisfaction. "Dick me dead, and bury me pregnant." 80% (03/19/2019)

On the surface Fighting with My Family is a mediocre biopic set in female wrestling, but it works thanks to a decently written story and the believable performances of Florence Pugh, Nick Frost and The Rock. Thanks to the overbearing parents, the film had a humorous edge that balanced out the ordeal Paige had to go through on her way to her dream goal. In the end, this is a very enjoyable little film! (11/02/2019)

I am not really aware of the number of biopics that appear like the usual biopic but simultaneously feature actors from the given background who actually play themselves. It is a strange combination of reality and filmmaking craft, which is possible because the story is still fairly topical. The authors made great casting choices so the film was a pleasure to watch. Florence Pugh was phenomenal in the leading role and her parents played by Lena Heady and Nick Frost were so amazing that their lines should be put in some Bible of catchphrases. (05/22/2019)

The reviews here frankly scare me. Was I supposed to be moved by the story and laugh at the wannabe funny situations during this movie? I was just very bored. If the wrestling scene is similarly poor and tasteless in real life, there is something very wrong with this world. I'm not biased, but it could have been done much better. For fans of the sport, I can recommend The Wrestler, a film that is in a completely different league. (35%) (01/16/2022)

Surprisingly, everything I feared here works very well. Dwayne Johnson fulfils his role of adored icon to perfection, the humour is not embarrassing or trodden, and wrestling is a welcome spin on boxing, especially in the performance of the charismatic and emotional Florence Pugh. The tried-and-tested template is strictly adhered to, but everything works as it should, and the supporting characters are mostly not just numbers. Pleasant little surprise. 75% (05/03/2019)