“Fighting with My Family”

On the heels of the Oscars I scanned the theater movie listings to find a film. I had seen pretty much everything showing but decided to take a chance on a little film with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vince Vaughn.

There were a total of three people the theater. I could be in trouble. Since I had barely scanned any info on the film I was surprised when the opening scene was set in somewhat rural Norwich, England (pronounced Nor-ich by the locals). The Knight family is a wild and crazy wrestling mad clan who put on wrestling shows to make a living. Dad spent eight years in prison for what he described as “violence”. The performances by those depicting the family are excellent. Ricky Knight is played by Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead). His wife, Julia is portrayed by Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister/“Game of Thrones). They play off one another beautifully and convey their love and dedication to the wrestling game. Jack Lowden plays big brother Zak to his gifted little sister wrestler Saraya. Lowden graduated from the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He has won acclaim for his stage work to include the Laurence Olivier award for Best Supporting Actor in Ibsen’s “Ghosts”.

The story is based on the true story of the Knight family. At the end of the film there is footage of the actual family which is fun to watch. It clearly shows what a great job Director Stephen Merchant and his team did capturing the essence of this unusual and interesting family.

Dwayne Johnson and Vince Vaughn complement the whole effort. Johnson grew up in a wrestling family and was of course a wrestler himself. It is little wonder that he is one of the executive producers. Vaughn is “The Coach” for the WWE Federation whose job it is to find new talent.

It has to be stated that this as a very formulaic movie but I couldn’t help but like it. It’s funny, interesting and draws the viewer into this world whether you are into wild and wooly wrestling or not.

When I was a little kid in Boston my grandmother on my mother’s side was a big wrestling fan! I can still remember going to the matches in Revere Beach with her. She was Portuguese and very animated and passionate. It was not unusual for her to run up to ringside to argue with a referee or a wrestler! She had no fear and she obviously was convinced that it was not orchestrated. Maybe this is why I enjoyed it so much.

This film won’t vie for any Oscars but I recommend it as solid entertainment based on real life events. Treat yourself even if you will be out if your comfort zone.