Fighting with My Family (2019)
91%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: 10 wins & 5 nominations
Much like the sport it celebrates, Fighting with My Family muscles past clichés with a potent blend of energy and committed acting that should leave audiences cheering.
Fighting with My Family is a movie that packs a punch, both emotionally and comedically. Florence Pugh’s performance is a total knockout, and the film’s heart and sincerity are hard to ignore. Even if you’re not a wrestling fan, this quirky and ambitious clan will win you over with their universal story of outcasts creating community through sport and heart. Plus, who doesn’t love a good “soap opera in spandex” storyline? Stephen Merchant’s direction and the film’s well-written characters make it a winner, and may even turn you into a wrestling fan by the end of it.
Production Company(ies)
Red Light Films, HBO, Cinemax Documentary Creative Visions
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual material, language throughout, some violence and drug content
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 47m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 22, 2019 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2019
Genre(s)
Biography
Keyword(s)
starring Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, Vince Vaughn, Dwayne Johnson, directed by Stephen Merchant, written by Stephen Merchant, biography, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anna Smith, Jake Wilson, Edward Porter, Kevin Maher, Ben Sachs, Peter Rainer, David Gonzalez, Taylor Baker, Alex Bentley, Fletcher Powell, Richard Crouse, Candice McMillan, produced by Kevin Misher, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Stephen Merchant, Michael J Luisi, PG-13, wrestling, WWE, training program, family, ambition, community, outcasts, sport, heart, comedy, drama, emotional, entertaining, character study, accuracy, appreciation, core cast, energy, committed acting, cheering, clichés, trump card, legend, cornball, zesty, knockout performance, winner, triumph, sincerity, basic, predictable, heartwarming, laughs, emotional heft, universal story, soap opera in spandex, storytelling, popular
Worldwide gross: $41,503,392
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $47,156,830
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,361
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,142,511
US/Canada gross: $22,958,886
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,527,949
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,309
US/Canada opening weekend: $138,780
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $160,354
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,753
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $11,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $12,710,000
Production budget ranking: 1,570
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,844,335
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $27,602,495
ROI to date (est.): 141%
ROI ranking: 789
Lena Headey – Julia
Nick Frost – Ricky
Jack Lowden – Zak
Vince Vaughn – Hutch
Dwayne Johnson – Self
Director(s)
Stephen Merchant
Writer(s)
Stephen Merchant
Producer(s)
Kevin Misher, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Stephen Merchant, Michael J. Luisi
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
10 wins & 5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (243) | Top Critics (55) | Fresh (225) | Rotten (18)
Fighting with My Family’s trump card is an emotional one, and it’s well played.
December 11, 2019
Anna Smith
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Yet realism, emotional or otherwise, is beside the point: this is a film that prints the legend, perhaps on the assumption that nothing is too cornball for true wrestling fans.
December 11, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/5
Jake Wilson
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Florence Pugh’s knockout performance is the winner in this zesty wrestling drama.
December 11, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Edward Porter
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Stephen Merchant’s film about an American wrestling family is a triumph, with a star turn from Florence Pugh.
December 11, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The film is basic and predictable, but its sincerity is hard to overlook.
December 11, 2019
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
We know how it’s going to turn out, but that doesn’t matter because what you’re watching along the way is so entertaining.
September 18, 2019
Peter Rainer
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
Fighting with My Family gives us a story with enough heart and laughs that is sure to win over audiences and maybe, just maybe, create a few new wrestling fans in the process.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Gonzalez
Reel Talk Inc.
Episode 31: Fighting with My Family / Happy Death Day 2U / Greta
September 14, 2021 | Rating: 76/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Fighting with My Family is a fun and surprising emotional story about a quirky, ambitious clan. Wrestling fans may be most drawn to it, but it still has a lot to offer even if you’ve never watched a match in your life.
February 18, 2021
Alex Bentley
CultureMap
This movie is definitely funny, but it also has an emotional heft I didn’t expect.
February 9, 2021
Fletcher Powell
KMUW – Wichita Public Radio
It is a universal story about outcasts who create community through sport and heart combined with the kind of “soap opera in spandex” storytelling that has made wrestling so popular.
January 31, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
It is thanks to Merchant that the film achieves what it sets out to do … His characters, though based on real people, pop off the screen and take on a life of their own. They may just make a wrestling fan out of you by the end of it.
January 28, 2021
Candice McMillan
KOMO News (Seattle)…
Plot
Former wrestler Ricky and his wife Julia make a living performing with their children Saraya and Zak. When brother and sister get the chance to audition for WWE, they learn that becoming a WWE Superstar demands more than they ever imagined possible.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson not only produced Fighting with My Family, but also makes a cameo appearance as himself in the film.
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