The
WWE wrestling-philes among you may remember Paige, aka Saraya-Jade Bevis, the raven-haired
semi-professional wrestler who took the WWE by storm in 2014 when she upset
then-Divas champion AJ Lee after being slapped and made history as the youngest
Divas champion at age 21. Well, I honestly
can’t say that I did, since I haven’t been following “professional wrestling”
since its heyday when such personalities as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Ted
DiBiase (aka the “Million Dollar Man”) and the Ultimate Warrior headlined the then-WWF (World Wrestling Federation) back in the 1980’s. Regardless, the trailer of ‘Fighting with My
Family,’ the Dwayne Johnson-produced (and co-starred) biopic about the rise of
the spunky goth wrestler from Norwich (England) intrigued
me enough to give it a look.
FWMF
is a biographical dramedy about Paige starring Nick Frost, Lena Headley, Dwayne
Johnson, Vince Vaughn and the unknown Florence Pugh in the main role. It provides a fascinating and often humorous
glimpse into the life of an eccentric wrestling family through its two
siblings, Saraya and her brother Zac, as they attempt to realize their dreams
of becoming professional wrestlers in the WWE. If
you’ve seen the movie’s trailer, it will come as no surprise for me to reveal
that only one of them made it (wonder who that might be?), but what a story of
sports redemption it is, even if it had the usual embellishments of a Hollywood
biopic.
In
the film’s main role, Florence Pugh delivered an engaging, charming,
vulnerable/insecure and deeply human performance that should make her a talent
to keep an eye on. The struggles and
setbacks her Paige endured in her trials to fit in and become a respected
wrestler among her peers in a highly competitive and cut-throat business are
Rocky-worthy, which is part of the reason why FWMF resonated with me. Even if you, like me, isn’t much of a WWE wrestling
fan, you will find much to like and cheer for in this movie.
Grade: A
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