Director: Stephen Merchant
Starring: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn, Nick Frost, Dwayne Johnson
Running Time: 108 minutes
Synopsis: In Norwich, England, working class couple Patrick and Julia (Nick Frost and Lena Headey) run a local semi-pro wrestling circuit featuring their teenaged children Zak and Raya (Jack Lowden and Florence Pugh). The family dreams of getting noticed by the World Wrestling Entertainment, and Zak and Raya are finally given an opportunity to audition in London. But WWE recruiter and coach Hutch (Vince Vaughn) only selects Raya for further training, and she jets off to Florida leaving Zak resentful. Raya adopts the stage name Paige as she attempts to qualify for the WWE, but she faces numerous challenges and an increasingly strained relationship with her family back home.
What Works Well: Plenty of heart ensures a warm glow in this biography of professional wrestler Paige, with a focus on humble roots and an unlikely path to stardom. The hardscrabble family background features sports-as-salvation from addictions and incarceration, with love, support, ambition, and humour fueling Paige's rise. She still has a lot to learn once her WWE training starts, and Florence Pugh invests in Paige's complex personal growth as she meets competitors from other backgrounds and navigates her brother's doldrums. Vince Vaughn builds a steady bridge between Norwich and glamour, and Dwayne Johnson enjoys a couple of prolonged scenes as himself.
What Does Not Work As Well: The rags-to-riches story arc offers few surprises, leading to a high-volume final act filled with triumphalism, lacking subtlety, and compromised by a never-before-seen opponent.
Key Quote:
Raya (to Coach Hutch): You didn't cut me and I didn't quit.
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