Out of all the irritating British comedians, Stephen Merchant has always remained a complete mystery to me. More awkward than funny, Merchant is an actor who pops up in the unlikeliest of films and TV shows. Watching The Big Bang Theory while scoffing your dinner? There’s Stephen Merchant! Fancying the pants off of an older Wolverine in Logan? Wait, there’s a bald and pale Stephen Merchant. The Good Place? More Stephen Merchant!
This is not to say Merchant isn’t a talented comedian; just personally I find him a tad more annoying than funny. For his directorial debut, Merchant has chosen a story of a female wrestler from Norwich. Not going to lie, I never saw that one coming, but I have to give it to the guy; Fighting With My Family might be his best work yet. It’s a charming, funny and heart-warming story and possibly one of the biggest surprises of the year so far.
Wrestlers Assemble!
Merchant introduces us to the Knights, the family who has wrestling in their blood. Siblings Saraya and Zak have been wrestling since they were kids, cheered on by their wrestling-crazy parents. Now as teenagers, they teach wrestling to the kids in the neighbourhood at headquarters of WAW, The World Association of Wrestling, run by their parents. The siblings are offered a once in a lifetime opportunity; audition for the WWE. At the audition, Saraya excels and is the only one picked from the group, leaving Zak devastated. As she departs for America, the land of dreams, Zak must stay behind in Norwich and both their relationship and dreams are stretched and questioned.
Let’s be real here. Who on Earth would be interested in a film about a wrestler from Norwich? Most of the world’s population can’t even pronounce Norwich correctly, let alone place it on a map. Merchant has picked an age-old underdog story, but with added Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. It’s a film that on paper sounds very particular, very much a film aimed at wrestling fans with the cheeky cameos and plenty of wrestling jargon. I’m here to tell you it’s anything but. In fact, I reckon wrestling fans may be gravely disappointed in Merchant’s film because there’s not that much wrestling going on. Merchant has rightfully chosen to focus on the human aspect of the story, mainly the strained relationship between Saraya, now going by her new ringname Paige, and Zak, who is dangerously close to alcoholism.
Fighting With My Family would be a much worse film without the fantastic performances by Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden. Lowden is given plenty of sulking to do and does it just fine, but the script doesn’t really let him dive deep enough into Zak’s crisis of life. Zak is a fascinating character and I would have loveed to see more of how his whole life is in disarray and spiralling out of control. The guy had to give up his dream while his sister is out living it; that’s got to hurt. Lowden keeps Zak closed off and turns in an internal performance instead of a flashy and angry one. It’s a powerful move and Lowden pulls it off magnificently, but one would hope he had been awarded more screen time to really showcase his talents as an actor.
But this is very much Pugh’s film. She has been climbing the ranks since her breakthrough in Lady Macbeth. She is often the best thing in anything she appears in, elevating the material and bringing a healthy dose of tough girlpower into her projects. Pugh is endlessly watchable as Paige and brings her inner turmoil to screen believably. Physically she is soft enough to stand out from the crowd of super pretty, almost plastic-like people in Florida, but tough enough to be believable as a pro-wrestler.
Her mid-movie makeover is cringe-worthy and Pugh sells just how uncomfortable Paige is in her own skin fabulously. When Paige returns home for the holidays and she confronts her brother first in the ring and afterwards outside of the village pub, sparks fly between the two talented actors. Lowden and Pugh are dynamite together and it’s a shame the film doesn’t manage to bring them together more.
The film’s supporting talent is also top notch. Lena Headey, our beloved/most hated Queen Cersei is almost unrecognisable as Paige’s punk-rock mother and Nick Frost is reliable, if a bit lazy and predictable as Paige’s dad. They’re both just fine, but that is the problem with Fighting With My Family. They’re just fine, but never more than that. All characters that aren’t Paige are treated as one-dimensional and separate from one another. There isn’t a sense of unity or shared DNA within the film. All supporting characters have been boiled down to a punchline; there simply isn’t enough meat on their bones. Never are we treated to a glimpse of the inner lives of the supporting characters, and there isn’t a trace of the family’s dynamics. It makes Fighting With My Family feel amateur-ish and thin.
Norwich vs. Florida
The film kicks into a different gear when Paige leaves her family in Norwich and heads to sunny Florida. She’s immediately in over her head. Although she’s the only female with actual wrestling experience, she’s at the bottom of the scoreboard by not having the charisma and confidence WWE wrestlers need to make the audience scream their name. She freezes in front of the audience at a gig and she is devoured by the angry, quite frankly chauvinistic fans. Paige can be snarky, but can she be charming in front of thousands of wrestling fans?
This is where Merchant’s film should shine, but it’s all too familiar. We get a few training montages, Paige is seen missing home, Vince Vaughn looks extra Vince Vaughn, nothing we haven’t seen before. And strangely, there just isn’t enough wrestling. Kudos to Merchant for showing just how gruelling the WWE training is and how physically fit these people are. Beyond swimsuit bodies, these guys could crush your melon of a head with their bare thighs. There’s just not enough of this. I craved for the camera to just dive into the ring with Paige, to show the audience how terrifying, yet exhilarating the matches can be from the inside.
Merchant’s script doesn’t stick the landing either. It’s filled with his signature humor, but it’s an oddly toned piece and most of the jokes feel disruptive, like unnecessary add-ons. Scenes between Zak and Paige are great, but the film seems to be one draft away from being truly great. Several cameos, most notably The Rock himself, feel a bit cheap, and while the final wrestling match is exhilarating, the film never feels like it’s the best version of itself. It’s funny, but it’s also sweet and a bit sad. It’s hard to say who this film is truly for or where it’s going to find its audience. There isn’t enough wrestling for the hardcore wrestling fans, but there are too many inside jokes and little winks for the fans so that us common peasants feel a bit left out. The emotions are there and the story is ultimately a universal one, but Merchant can’t quite balance the tone of his film.
The film is also awfully British. It’s so British even yours truly who has lived in the UK for nearly 7 years felt a bit of an outsider. Norwich, for those of you who have never heard of it and really, who could blame you, is a city located in the east of England. Relatively small, but nowhere near as drab as Merchant’s film makes you think it is. Norwich is constantly grey and a bit rainy, as if the city never sees the sun. Florida on the other hand is sunny, glistening, and glamorous. And yes, I get why Merchant has done it, I just don’t agree with it. A lot of the narrative still takes place in Norwich and a lot of the plot revolves around Zak coming to terms with his future which seems to be in Norwich, so why would you represent it as awful? The UK does get a bit of sun every now and then.
Fighting With My Family: A Hit Or A Miss?
Stephen Merchant has made a perfectly fine film. The performances are great, the story is great, but the film never quite reaches its full potential. Florence Pugh is yet again the best thing on screen; her energy is palpable and she makes it all look so easy. Jack Lowden isn’t far behind her, but the script doesn’t serve him quite as well.
For his first film, this is a very adept attempt. It’s far from perfect, but somehow the film is even more adorable and cutesy for it. It’s a film that feels a bit too familiar, but Pugh’s performance and sheer energy elevates the film. Fighting With My Family is a lovely little British gem and while it’s not perfect, Merchant shows admirable potential as a director. Maybe his next film could be about a ballet dancer from Carlisle?
Are you a fan of wrestling? What did you think of Fighting With My Family! Share your thoughts in the comments!
Fighting With My Family was released in theaters in the US February 22, 2019 and in the UK February 27, 2019.
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