In the hopes of exploring American culture's increased obsession with winning, documentary filmmaker Christopher Bell examines the anabolic steroid use of his two brothers. After setting the stage with a look at the cultural backdrop of the 1980s -- in which hulky stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the ideal -- Bell illustrates how he and his brothers became involved in the bodybuilding subculture, eventually discovering the brutal truth that success in the lifestyle of
pumping iron demanded the use of steroids. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
It raises big, intriguing questions that rarely, if ever, come up in the hubbub about steroid use in professional athletics, particularly Major League Baseball.
Chris Bell's very personal documentary, tracking how steroid use influenced his body building family's game, health and interpersonal relationships, is neither an apology nor a hard-lined expose about doping.
Though somewhat repetitive and clunky, Chris Bell's Bigger Stronger Faster deserves credit for presenting a fairly evenhanded examination of steroids & their threat to the integrity of the country's sports industry.
Pessoal como Moore (incluindo um momento Roger and Me com Schwarzenegger) e auto-referencial como Spurlock (mas mais honesto), Bell cria um filme que levanta questões realmente relevantes sobre a caça às bruxas relativa ao uso de esteróides.
Bell's film is in need of an unbiased editor, but his conclusion that the use of steroids is rooted in a poisonous American belief that bigger is inherently better and second best is just first among losers is compelling.
Giving his film real emotional kick are the personal stories of Mad Dog and Stinky, two average guys chasing a media-fed dream that will only result in disappointment.
It may or may not change your opinion of how we should treat steroids in America, but it will at least give you greater sympathy for people who use them.
I believe that Bigger, Stronger, Faster is an overrated documentary. What is it telling us that we don't know? Absolutely nothing. We know how Anabolic Steroids affect the body and we know that people who use a drug will say it has no harmful affect on them. If you take an extreme amount of any type of drug it will
cause health risks and steroids are no different. No drug is completely safe and all these bodybuilders telling us it's not hurting them are full of shit. As for the documentary; it's technically well made. I was entertained by the first half, but it just kept saying the same things over and over and over. The filmmaker doesn't take a side on the issue and that's what saves this documentary for me. With that said the documentary also comes off as unfocused. At times it seems like, hey steroids aren't that bad. Then the next second, steroids are awful and can kill you. To me the brothers and the filmmaker both cop out and blame America for the use of steroids. It's competition that drives them to take steroids. Well you could have an inkling of a backbone and take a stand against it. Growing up, I had posters of Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. I cheered as Barry Bonds approached Hanks record. Now when I see those faces it makes me sick. Bonds says to the media, you lie too. So I guess that makes it ok that he cheated to become the best. That's how I feel this documentary comes across. It's ok that athletes are cheating to be the best because everyone lies and cheats. We live in America and this is just a side of effect of that. That's bullshit and this documentary comes off as bullshit to me.
July 17, 2011
Melvin White
Super Reviewer
Eye opening documentary on steroid use here in America. Really examines the good and bad from it in a very entertaining fashion. Definately worth a watch for just about anybody.
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