Fighting With My Family Review

I struggled to determine what should've been the first movie for me to review here on this new blog. But I decided to go with a movie I hadn't seen before, which surprises me considering what it is about. The dramatized but mostly true story of the wrestler know professionally in WWE as Paige and in AEW as Saraya. Coming from a family full of wrestlers, including a mother who wrestled while being pregnant with her, she fought through a massive amount of hardship and struggle to become a globally recognized superstar. A legend of the sport who has won a large amount of championships and had great matches.

But as for the movie, it's fine innit.

We open with paige and her brother Zak wrestling as children, showing how she didn't want to be a wrestler until she had her first match and she fell in love. We then have a rather creative and fun cut straight into Florence Pugh as teenage Saraya teaming alongside her brother Zak against their parents. It was a lot of fun, and being a big wrestling fan I loved the attention to detail with how wrestling looks and feels. The charisma and performances from everyone involved are off the charts, especially from Florence as the leading role. Jack Lowden as her brother Zak is also pretty great and funny in his role. Nick Frost as their father is pretty great and I loved his comedic performance. The family dynamic between the actors is pretty great and fun, as it feels like they do all care about eachother but also love to joke around and be annoying like real siblings or parents. Despite this movie being primarily about Saraya, it still gives Zak a good time to shine. He chases down a drug dealer and keeps him from dealing drugs to focus on wrestling, showing that he is a rather good person.

We go to some points where Saraya is talking to some preppy girls and there is some jabs back and forth, leading to her having some confidence issues. It seems incredibly personal and real, which I appreciate them showing in this movie. It's not entirely about comedy and jokes, but has some honest heart and meaning to it. A lovely look into her life.

We go on to Zak teaching a pro wrestling class, which seemed incredibly realistic and funny. A great moment that felt nice and honest to the wrestling business. A good attention to detail, which goes nicely into Ricky talking to talent about what to do on the show. Planning spots and moments ahead, like how pro wrestling is really done. Once again, another awesome look behind the curtain in a very realistic way that we don't get too see all that often. Some more slapstick and funny stuff, including hitting a man over the head with a trash can because he asked how it felt. And then right after with a bowling ball to the nuts and then agreeing to do it in the match. Such a hilarious segment.

We go to the classes again where they try to support a blind friend and teach him how to wrestle, which seems incredibly nice and friendly. A lovely way to show all the friendship and comradery.

We then get to see a rather wholesome and nice moment, with Zak bringing over a partner to the home for some dinner. Meeting the family of his girlfriend and asking his wild, crazy family to try and be normal. Some hilarity ensues, and I honestly couldn't help but laugh. I'm a simple man and laugh at simple jokes. It was a basic and enjoyable segment that leads into a super funny dinner with all of the people involved getting their chances to shine and show their character (including a wild appearance from Stephen Merchant, who I keep finding appears in almost everything I watch). We get into a discussion of wrestling being fake and fixed. It is a really a common thing that people talk about or ask. I could not even imagine what it feels like for a wrestler to be told that. It annoys me and I'm just a fan. we then get to go into the announcement of Saraya and Zak getting the call to try out for WWE, the most prominent and major wrestling promotion in the world. There was a pretty funny moment where they have to show non-wrestling fans what WWE is, and it was pretty hilarious. A great, lovely moment of honesty and emotion. Huge fan of it, as they go into the sacrifice it takes to do something so physically demanding. A lovely scene.

We then get a rather beautiful and sweet moment between Saraya and Zak, talking about their emotions and their fears of the tryout. Being so incredibly supportive and loving ina. great way. A way to keep it light hearted and funny in the best way. Huge fan of short little scenes with a lot of emotion and character. It's awesome.

Now once they arrive in the 02 Arena for Smackdown, this is where I get some major issues. The movie was filmed in 2017 and released in 2019. Rather than recreating historical arenas or casting people to look like the old wrestlers, they just used the set ups and the roster at the time. It creates a whole lot of problems, with the likes of Smackdown Live not becoming a thing until 2016, when Saraya's try out was back in 2010. She actually failed her first tryout but was successful in her second one, which this movie ignores. Now I know that biographies are known to take creative liberties and stuff like that, but these ones just seemed to be due to laziness. Why couldn't they just use a sound stage or change the look of an arena for a little bit? It was annoying for me personally, perhaps because I am an actual wrestling fan. But the things of The Rock being there when he hadn't returned yet, the arenas, the lack of respect given to the actual developmental brands, and really a whole lot about the WWE system are ignored. Just...yeah I get a little bit petty and picky. I will admit that The Rock in his appearance was pretty hilarious. Felt like his direction was just to be himself. Huge fan.

We then go into the WWE try out scene. Vince Vaughn plays the fictional Coach Hutch, and we also get a cavalcade of fun looking wrestlers. Hutch is a little blunt and direct. A bit of a no-nonsense and strict coach who gets a little bit misogynistic and into bullying, which is sadly how some coaches are in wrestling. It is another step in showing Saraya's lack of confidence and her passion for wrestling being at the forefront. Huge fan of this scene because it was showing the physical toll and thinking ahead of what to do and behave. A whole lot of fun action and wrestling going wild in a quick montage that was a whole lot of fun. In the selection process, he mentions NXT and not FCW, which was a big thing for me once again. Also, the fact that Saraya (now going by Paige so I'm going to be calling her Paige now) was the only one chosen was wild. Once again, it was not accurate and just a bit of a meh to me. The fact that she risked her job and stood up for her brother though was incredibly emotional and hit me in my feels. A lovely scene and well done character addition. And also the realisation/addition of Paige knowing that being in WWE wasn't just for her. It was so she could represent her entire family. They return home and it is so lovely to see how supportive everyone is of Paige, giving her applause and hugs and making her so happy. Meanwhile we can see that Zak isn't taking it all too well, which is heartbreaking. He is happy for and proud of his little sister, yet still has that disappointment and sadness that resonates so much. Hurts so hard. Jack Lowden really acts incredibly well in this movie, and is one of the bright spots of the entire movie. His goodbye and not being able to go to the airport was a great subtle sign of his sadness and jealousy, something that I love and appreciate. I loved the advice he gave and love their chemistry and dynamic so much. This whole stretch sine he didn't get signed has really shown just how great of an actor he really is. And the scene of Paige walking away crying is so heart breaking but a great touch. So nice. We then get a really cool song playing over a Florida montage. Certain For Miles by Cayetana. An awesome punk rock song that fits in so well with the movie and the vibe it goes for. A lovely addition.

Paige being in America is pretty cool, especially her meeting all of the other women swimming and tanning. All the models who are tan and beautiful, which was what WWE looked for at the time and what made Paige feel even more special. Even more like a outcast and loner.

Once again we get a historical inaccuracy, with Paige going to the state of the art WWE Performance Center...which wasn't built until 2013. I just...once again get a little annoyed with things like this. Minor but for me just feels like a lack of effort or care. And I must point out because I literally jumped out of my seat, we get a really quick blink and you'll miss it cameo from independent wrestler Kip Sabian, who I'm a big fan of. So happy to see him here. And yeah, a thing with the WWE Championship belt not being the correct one for the time period.

I will say though that I'm a huge fan of the training montage, showing just how difficult and gruelling it is. Cutting to see Zak still struggling with his depression in very subtle and difficult ways that makes the movie so varied and sweet in so many different ways. Still teaching classes in the old English warehouse but clearly not having it all in him. Meanwhile Paige is getting her ass kicked but keeps pushing, missing out on a lot of major personal milestones like the birth of her brother's kid. Zak is still not complete, unable to be happy even in this time. Such a heartbreaking scene.

Had to go into the next paragraph for this section because we go into the promo class section of WWE. Having to sell yourself and your character to a crowd of thousands of people in attendance. Having the confidence to speak, whether it be from a script or off the top of your head. I could never imagine how stressful it must be. There is a lot of fun moments, especially with Coach Hutch constantly getting in the way of the promos to keep people off their game, which is realistic to what they would experience on a near daily basis depending on how often they wrestled back then. Paige goes up and has a pretty basic, purposefully cliche promo that gets torn to shreds, but also has some great advice mixed into the blunt package. Some little gossiping keeps Paige's confidence and assuredness down. But while Paige is dealing with her confidence issues, we see Zak giving it even more of the fight. Getting slammed onto thumb tacks to try and prove something, and calling in hopes of getting accepted to WWE once again, but he gets turned down again. His spiral is getting even worse and worse, and it's so hard to watch and so emotionally vunerable. A brutal look into his psyche. The sheer difference in Paige and Zak taking it is wild to see, which also leads to Paige getting legit beaten up and nearly injured by a model becoming a wrestler. She is clearly so above all the other wrestlers, but goes against the WWE system in so many different ways that it just adds to the crazy lack of confidence from her.

Some more hilarious stuff between Paige and her family. Made me laugh and giggle in so many different points because it's just such a silly goofy section of jokes and silliness. Paige still being self doubting, Zak's subtle spiral, and her supportive friends and family (running "not a sweat shop") being just so funny. I love the movie staying rather light hearted and silly, even when it deals with some of the more emotional and hard hitting moments.

We get Paige wrestling her first match in front of a crowd, getting no reaction due to not being a gorgeous babe who is showing off. It sucks to see her getting treated like that, and with the crowd eating up basic promos from hot women over the actual skilled promo from Paige. It sure is pretty realistic, which is quite an awful thing to say. Hecklers in the crowd knocking her confidence even more and just making her struggle even more. Knowing about Paige and her real life personal struggles, it sure did become difficult to witness this, even in a dramatized manner. This goes right into a emotional and sad scene with Paige crying, not sure if she can handle it anymore. And that cuts to Zak being such a distant, emotionless wreck of a man. Drunk on the couch just staring at his crying baby, not doing anything or thinking clearly. Hard to see, especially when he denies a call from his sister. So gut wrenching for both of them clearly struggling with their mental health. Both feeling so alone in their seperate worlds, which seem to be at odds with the other.

Paige goes into a bathroom and tries to do a make over. Removing her piercings and make up, getting a bit of a tan, and dying her hair blonde. Trying to fit in with the cookie cutter girls and going against her true self in hopes to succeed. Such a brutal realization of wrestling and the try outs they have to go through. Paige fully breaks down during a exercise course on the beach, almost giving up entirely on her dream. Once again feeling alone, even with her makeover. Leading to her exploding and being paranoid. Just a whole lot of struggles and somber loneliness. She does have a great, one on one talk with Coach Hutch though. A seriously heart felt, emotional talk that was so brutally honest and hard hitting. Such a great explanation and exploration of the brutal, difficult world that wrestlers often have to go through. Talking about how dangerous it is and actually showing some kindness towards Paige in a great showing of respect and care. A lovely scene that I love more than most others in the entire movie.

Paige goes home for the holidays and seems truly happy for the first time in a long time. She gets to return to her family's wrestling promotion and see her brother for the first time in a long time, seeing that something was wrong right away. They have such a hard conversation, with Paige telling her brother that she wanted to give up. A dream that the two of them shared for their entire lives. One that she got to live, even a small bit, while her brother was denied it. The fact that she wanted to quit while he didn't even get a chance was so emotional and it clearly destroyed him even more. Such a brutal scene that leads to the brother and sister wrestling a match against each other in front of their hometown crowd. It is obvious that Zak's mental state is not all there, and this leads to him legitimately beating up his own sister. Hurting her for trying to give up on their dream. It was incredibly emotional and heart wrenching. Shot so incredibly well and dramatic with the crowd turning on him. Really letting the mask slip and show that his mental state is far from healthy. He has gone too far. He nearly breaks up the family by revealing that Paige wants to quit, leading to a lot of emotion and drama. We learn that Zak got drunk and gets into a bar fight, getting arrested much like their older brother who doesn't get mentioned too much...ironically enough for the very same reason Zak did. Failing to get into WWE and taking it too harshly. Such a emotional car ride full of feelings coming out so quickly in this movie. Once again, Jack Lowden is amazing. His chemistry with Florence Pugh, especially at this point with the two giving their sides of the story and helping them realize what each of them want and need was amazing.

And this followed up right by a lovely, super touching scene between Paige and her father. A real heart to heart conversation that was so incredibly beautiful and touching.

Paige returns to Florida to continue achieving her dream, back in her true look of black hair and pale skin. A bunch of true realization and determination that leads to a really fun work out and try out montage that was a whole lot of fun. And the growth of Paige's character being much more supportive and friendly to the people who had bullied her. Helping them train to wrestle while they help her with charisma and confidence. It really is awesome to see how all of them grow in various aspects of wrestling and character, even callbacks to earlier in the movie with wrestling moves and tryouts. Honestly a whole lot of fun in this sequence especially. Huge fan.

We go to Wrestlemania 30, where we get to see more wrestlers like Sheamus and Big Show having a lot of fun banter. Also, we have a glimpse at real life superstar Zelina Vega cast as AJ Lee, which is a weird choice to me. I feel like it should've been easy for them to cast the real life AJ. Paige is taken to a private room to have a meeting with The Rock (and one of the most obvious, insanely poor green screens I've ever seen). The Rock tells Paige as well as her family that she will be going up to the main roster and would be fighting for the Divas Championship. Of course this is realistic to what really happened, even if it skips on a whole bunch of detail and history. I feel like if this were a long running show it would do better and could focus on all the stuff...but only if they actually took care of the historical accuracy stuff. Still can't get over it.

Zak gets his spark back and helps train the next generation of wrestlers, which is such a beautiful thing to see. Having him be happy again is great for his character. Things are looking up for everyone.

Back to Paige coming into the arena for Monday Night Raw (circa 2017 gosh darn it) and getting to witness the empty arena before the show starts. They splice in some real footage of WWE from the very Raw that this is supposed to be recreating...which just makes all of the inaccuracies even more annoying for me. We get to see Paige suffer a rather nasty anxiety attack, which is a painful thing to witness. But I love that she is snapped out of it by talking to her brother. Such a awesome moment that made me so happy for her. A lovely time for her to truly, fully realize that she deserved it. And her own brother Zak, who struggled with his own mental state, being the voice of reason and support for her was so touching. So much more character growth all across the board that was so amazing and lovely to see.

We see Zelina Vega acting as AJ Lee, which was so strange. All sorts of strange things to see with the inaccurate arena, a dead crowd, the people playing people playing people. It all got super weird and strange, but I guess it was filmed pretty well. Some fun action and moments that were crazy to witness. I will say that this scene specifically had some weird camera movements and shots, especially going way too close on their faces at points. But it was accurate enough tot he actual match...I guess. Just more of me being a petty pansy of complaining. A super weird part of the moie.

I mean, this movie was...it was fine. Because I am a major wrestling fan, this movie bothered me with all of the inaccuracies and missing details. I know that most people may not care, but if you want to do a historical biography, maybe try at least a little bit. it just felt like they didn't want to put any effort into trying to make it feel special. That's really my only complaints about it. The acting performances are all good enough. Not oscar worthy by any means, but still good and get the job done. The wrestling scenes were all shot and performed well in a exciting way. We get so much heart and emotion, especially surrounding the family drama and love. It is a hilarious movie that had me laughing at a lot of different points. This movie got me in the feels and I loved how full of heart it was, even if it wasn't really the best movie ever. It was what it was.

Rating: 5/10