And in this corner: a comedy that makes us see stars
STEPHEN Merchant wrote and directed this wrestling biopic (which man mountain Dwayne Johnson produced), and the result is a hoot.
Saraya (Florence Pugh) lives in Norwich with her mum (Lena Headey), dad (Nick Frost) and older brother Zak (Jack Lowden). Saraya is a heavy-metal-loving, tomboy-ish wrestler). Zak, who trains youngsters in a local gym, dreams of strutting his stuff in the US. How will he cope when it’s his sister who’s flown to Florida and offered the chance to join World Wrestling Entertainment?
Saraya’s US rivals struggle to get to grips with her European identity (they conflate her affectionately with the Nazis). Back in Norfolk, it’s acknowledged that the wrestling circuit involves cold, hard, humiliation (to entertain the crowds, Zak hurls himself onto upturned drawing pins).
Though Lowden’s performance is gorgeous, Pugh is the film’s main weapon. Hauntingly intense in The Falling and Lady Macbeth, the 23-yearold turns out to be an effortlessly nuanced comedian. With chunky thighs. Her character is based on realworld WWE champion Paige, whose legs are significantly slimmer. How cool! So many actresses offer an idealised version of real women. Pugh is changing the ideal.
Meanwhile, Frost and Headey (plus Merchant and the brilliantly clenched Julia Davis as the parents of Zak’s girlfriend) tickle us expertly, as does Johnson who plays himself, circa 2011.
True, Vince Vaughn’s character, a tough but fair coach, is a cliché. And the film often feels like an advert for WWE. Merchant fudges the final fight scenes, too, suggesting that Saraya is essentially a determined sportswoman, taking charge of her own destiny. Why treat the audience like morons? The real Paige was following a script. You want to know how that feels.
Merchant’s family romance not only inspires laughs but leaves us churned up. Once trapped in Ricky Gervais’s shadow, the gentle giant tiptoes into the ring and — bish bash bosh — makes us see stars.
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