Let me just put it out there, I am not a wrestling fan, be it WWE or any other WW fill in the
blank. But, by now you should know how much I love a movie based on reality.
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, based on the life of WWE star Paige Knight. We begin in Norwich, England and are introduced to the Knight family, whose life is totally centered on wrestling. Mom (Julia) and Dad (Ricky) are wrestlers themselves. Dad’s previous career was bank robbery and other violent offenses, which sent him to prison for several years. Once out her met homeless Julia, fell in love and boom they made the career move to wrestling.
Soon their children followed in the family path and are wrestling in hole in the wall venues
to help support the family, and keep Dad from returning to his felony past. Brother sister team of “Zodiac” Zac and Saraya aka Brittani are the headliners, and coaching young wrestlers in the family business “World Association of Wrestling” aka WAW. After submitting a demo tape to the WWE, Zac and Saraya are offered a tryout. Unfortunately only Saraya is offered the opportunity to move to Florida and train with the WWE (think minor league in baseball).
Florida is a difficult transition for Saraya, made more so when she is renamed Paige because there is already a wrestler named Brittani. Paige becomes lost in the sea of blonde Barbie types and an unfamiliar boot camp version of wrestling that leaves her insecure and lonely. Zak, resentful of Paige’s WWE opportunity cuts her from his life at a time she is struggling with self-doubt.
This could have been such a yawner of a movie, if it was just the Paige show from Norwich to WWE. But, we have the secondary story of Zac’s downward spiral. He repeatedly calls
he WWE for another tryout but is finally told he will never be a WWE wrestler, he doesn’t have the spark needed, and he should find something else to do. Zac is lost, doubting his past and mourning his perceived lost future. He cuts himself off from his family, the family business and his wrestling students.
Vince Vaughn is very believable as Hutch who heads up Paige’s training program, and who
doesn’t love Dwayne Johnson being himself, “The Rock”. This is a great heart warming feel good movie for kids and families. A bit of sunshine in a dreary sea of mediocre offerings of late.
Fighting with My Family is rated B minus, definitely worth a trip to the theatre.
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