‘Fighting with My Family’ a feel-good wrestling story
Also: Ray Romano in ‘Paddleton,’ third ‘Train Your Dragon’ fantasy
Two of the most promising releases this week center on sibling athletes grappling with challenging situations.
Fans of the Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, will want to check out “Fighting with My Family.” The charismatic and highly likable actor-wrestler serves as producer for this basedon-a-true story comedydrama. It’s about the strong connection between a sister and a brother and how that gets tested to the limit as both pursue careers as professional wrestlers. It’s based on the career of WWE star SarayaJade Bevis, aka Paige. The Rock pops up for a cameo in this Sundance Film Festival crowd-pleaser. Critics really went to the mat over the performance from Florence Pugh (“Lady Macbeth”).
In “Run the Race,” two brothers rely on their bond and sense of faith to persevere over adversity. Former NFL football player Tim Tebow executive produced this inspirational family drama. Watch the trailer and prepare for a good cry.
The “How to Train Your Dragon” film franchise continually scales box-office heights and will likely do so again with the third entry in a trilogy. The wrap-up, “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” hurls young Hiccup and his dragon Toothless on a quest to find a magical, mythological kingdom. Series creator Dean DeBlois directs, while Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera and Cate Blanchett return to voice three pivotal characters. Early reviews indicate it’s a winner.
Stream these
“Paddleton” is the ravedabout first of four Netflix releases coming from the Duplass brothers, indie champions who served as producers for one of the best documentary series the streaming giant has released — the Emmy-winning “Wild Wild Country.” In this poignant, unexpectedly humorous drama, the lives of two pals and neighbors (Mark Duplass and Ray Romano) irrevocably change when one faces a diagnosis of terminal cancer and decides he wants to end his life. The film debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was very wellreceived. It comes out Friday.
Finally, in the French drama “Paris Is Us,” a young woman misses her doomed plane flight and shortly thereafter starts to question what life and living in Paris is truly about. The moody movie comes out Friday on Netflix.