Parents' Guide to

Fighting with My Family

By Michael Ordona, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Some language, lots of pro wrestling in funny biopic.

Movie PG-13 2019 108 minutes
Fighting with My Family Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 17 parent reviews

age 2+

Too realistic

It’s too similar to real life. My parents fight all the time

This title has:

Too much consumerism
2 people found this helpful.
age 14+

Great movie about being true to yourself, loyal to family and appreciating what you have

Yes, there are some mature aspects to the movie (swearing, sexual references, skimpy outfits in the WWE, wrestling-related violence) but if your kids are old enough to handle them the story and acting shine. It teaches great lessons about being true to oneself, being loyal to and supportive of family and being proud of who you are and where you come from. My 14 and 16 year old loved this, as did my husband and I.

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (17):
Kids say (21):

This funny, heartfelt movie represents a huge step up for WWE Studios. To date, World Wrestling Entertainment has mostly been a conveyor belt for violent macho fantasies (The Marine through The Marine 6: Close Quarters) and low-bar humor (Santa's Little Helper, Jingle All the Way 2). Fighting with My Family is something totally different: a genuinely well-made film about a family. That's due largely to the writing and direction of Stephen Merchant, who's probably best known for co-creating the original version of The Office. Merchant's script follows the contours of a scrappy-underdog sports movie, but it's also filled with quirky details about Raya/Paige's family (all wrestlers) and class differences in England. Before Zak brings his fiancée's parents over for dinner, for example, he begs his parents to clean up their act a little. He asks of his dad, "Can he put on a shirt?" To which jolly, mohawked, alcoholic ex-con Ricky bellows, "How posh are they?" Most important, Merchant and his cast convincingly create a family. Viewers believe that these people have loved each other forever and that this is a lifelong dream.

Pugh is great in the lead role. She allows herself to be "unpretty," both physically and in the mistakes Paige makes. As her loving but deeply frustrated brother, Lowden (Dunkirk) is charming and complex. Both seem headed for big things. Headey and Frost are endearing and lively as their parents, Vaughn is well-cast as the tough coach, and Merchant is funny in a small, all-reaction role as the fiancée's dad. The movie's wrestling action, including the training, is enjoyable. While it may be hard to deeply invest in the outcome of fixed matches (just don't call them "fake," at least not around Paige's clan), the film sufficiently involves us in Paige's struggles so that predetermined "winning" and "losing" outcomes are secondary to the experience.

Movie Details

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