With Fighting With My Family premiering at Sundance Film Festival last night, movie sites are already giving reviews to the semi-fictional take on Paige‘s rise to WWE stardom. The following are quotes from The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap and IndieWire:
Fighting With My Family, reminds us several times that the sport is as much about charismatic storytelling as it is about skill. Judged by that standard, the film is far from belt-worthy — a likeable enough but familiar tale that will feel more at home at the multiplex than it does at Sundance. Though this year’s fest can’t stop congratulating itself for the risks it purportedly takes, Family takes exactly none.
It’s all too rare to see a film where a young woman is given agency to explore who she is in contrast to who she is expected to be without adding a romance or a big makeover scene. (To be fair, this is a movie about pro wrestling, so there’s a small makeover; it’s done well and fits the story). Though the film itself takes liberties with Paige’s origin story, it never strays too far from being a story about a young woman learning to embrace her destiny.
Yes, it’s a wrestling movie, but “Fighting With My Family” is also a delightful entry into a genre that has too few inspiring stories for young girls. It’s a warm-hearted underdog saga with a feminist undertone and a celebration of everyone’s inner misfit.
Flipping between scenes of hard-luck domestic upheaval and the overproduced stage show that is the WWE isn’t a natural fit, but [Florence] Pugh’s grounded work as Paige makes it a much easier sell, and Merchant’s winking humor adds some necessary self-reflexivity. At its core, however, “Fighting With My Family” benefits by sticking with well-trod sports movie tropes, enlivened by Pugh’s full-throttle performance and a genuine care for all of its motley players.
Fighting With My Family will be out in theaters on February 14th so lace up the boots with a loved one to your nearby theater.
