Having portrayed a grief-stricken woman caught up in a cult, a literary icon, and even the sister of Black Widow, Florence Pugh’s acting range knows no bounds. As fans eagerly await the release of her latest project, Don’t Worry Darling, we turn our attention back a few years. 2019 saw Pugh sporting jet black locks and a lip piercing as the feisty professional wrestler, Paige. Stephen Merchant’s Fighting With My Family is the true story of this retired WWE star’s rise to fame. From her humble beginnings in Norwich, England, where she spent her days quite literally fighting with her family, to her record-breaking career on wrestling’s most prestigious stage, Pugh perfectly embodies Paige every step of the way. But while this may be a sporting movie, don’t expect an overload of Rocky-inspired montages. At its core, it is an exploration of the tolls relentless ambition can take on the human spirit.
A Little Girl With Big Dreams
Before the world knew her as Paige, she was simply Saraya Bevis, who had big dreams for herself. But with big dreams come even bigger responsibilities. At a young age, the fantasies that she shared with her brother, Zak (Jack Lowden), about becoming a world-famous wrestler were innocent and almost fairytale-like. It was a whole other ball game when her teen years were filled with these same aspirations. This was when ambition really took hold. After years of fighting against stereotypes, Saraya was ready to pursue this male-dominated sport in the big leagues. However, when she gets her big break, the opportunity to join WWE, this momentous achievement is soured by her brother being rejected. This is the first moment we see her ambitious nature start to waver. With Zak’s rejection weighing on her mind, her desire to succeed starts to diminish. We see a roadblock forming due to her struggle of balancing family values with her own grand plans for the future.
Paige Faces Self-Doubt
Yet, this roadblock is just the first of several she faces along the way. Despite her fighting nature to succeed kicking back in, self-doubt starts overshadowing it. Faced with sexist comments on her Goth-style appearance, as well as being up against stereotypical LA beauties, she begins to question her role in the sport. Although never usually one to shy away from confrontation, we see her start to succumb to the pressures of superficiality. Slapping on a bit of fake tan and swapping out her trademark black locks for platinum blonde, she convinces herself that changing is simply a by-product of making it as a female pro wrestler. Once again, Pugh’s ability to dig deep into the underlying emotions behind her character’s actions shines through, allowing the viewer to relate on a deeper level.
Paige Puts Her Family Before Herself
The scene, in particular, that demonstrates how Pugh can nail even the subtlest of emotive responses is when Paige is on a video call to her parents. With both her parents (played by Nick Frost and Lena Headey) being professional wrestlers, it is a dream come true to have their daughter reach the heights of WWE. As they eagerly discuss the new Paige doll merchandise they’re creating, we see a worn-down Paige still coming to terms with her new surroundings. Pugh remarkably translates on screen the conflicting emotions between wanting to make her parents happy and her own fatigue in the constant strive to succeed.
And that is just what makes Fighting With My Family so special. It beautifully encapsulates the rollercoaster ride of ambition. We see Paige’s journey go from uninterrupted dreams of wrestling stardom to the reality of actually making that happen, with all the pitfalls along the way. However, one glaring message that can be taken away from the movie is to stay true to yourself no matter what. Paige may have experimented with different images but ultimately only became Paige, the wrestler when she went back to her roots (no pun intended). Ridding herself of her blonde locks and regaining her badass confidence, she became everything she dreamed of and even broke records as the youngest Divas Champion in history.
Florence Pugh's Performance Raises the Entire Movie
In Fighting With My Family, Pugh manages to explore the many layers that an ambitious attitude creates, pulling the viewer in every step of the way. Pugh’s performance in this critically acclaimed biopic allows the viewer to not only learn the story but to truly feel the story also. The English starlet’s rare ability to deeply connect with characters and bring them to life authentically lets us experience the depths of feelings that Paige goes through. From the painfully raw moment she confronts her brother for his seething jealousy of her to the subtle moments of self-sabotage, Pugh’s vulnerability shines through. In lesser hands, it just wouldn't have reached the emotional heights it did - Pugh turns the story it into an incredibly heartfelt, affecting film.
This movie shows us that not only can the actor bring to life imaginary characters, but she can just as easily nail imitation too, a true testament to her immense talent. Although Pugh continues to impress with her versatility, her performance in Fighting With My Family will always stand out as Pugh at her finest.