Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

80

Magnolia Pictures (105 minutes)
and Christopher Bell

Rating: Not Rated

Summary: In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. We reward speed, size and above all else: winning – at sport, at business and at war. Metaphorically we are a nation on steroids. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs? Blending comedy and pathos, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is a collision of pop culture and first-person narrative, with a diverse cast including US Congressmen, professional athletes, medical experts and everyday gym rats. At its heart, this is the story of director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, who grew up idolizing muscular giants like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who went on to become members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes? (Magnolia)

Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly:
(91) Bigger, Stronger, Faster is a portrait of a culture that claims to hate steroids but may, by now, be too pumped to do much about it.

Don R. Lewis
Film Threat:
(90) Bell's documentary is an absolute must see for anyone taking part in any kind of debate about steroids.

Peter Debruge
Variety:
(90) More scrupulously reported than your average Michael Moore film but every bit as entertaining, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is as commercial as documentaries come.

Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times:
(90) Raucously funny and surprisingly insightful.

Teddy Greenstein
Chicago Tribune:
(88) Bell confronts Smelly, labeling him a cheater. But he also sympathizes with him, explaining, "There is a clash in America between doing the right thing and being the best."

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times:
(88) This movie is remarkable in that it seems to be interested only in facts.

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