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Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
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Editorial Reviews:
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When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes? From the producers of Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 comes a powerful new documentary that unflinchingly explores steroid use in the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world: America.
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Pop culture junkies tend to think of Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as entertainment figures. In Poughkeepsie, NY, back in the 1980s, filmmaker Christopher Bell and his brothers viewed them as heroes and became bodybuilders. Like the Hulkster, Mike and Mark Bell even turned to professional wrestling. Chris, a former staffer at Venice's famous Gold's Gym, doesn't use anabolic steroids--he did try them once--but his heroes have and his brothers do, leading him to look deeper at this increasingly common practice. While Bell explores the health costs of juicing, he's mostly concerned with the moral consequences involved in the use of performance-enhancing substances. Though he refrains from judgment, he stopped taking steroids because it felt dishonest. Naturally, his burly brothers feel otherwise. Aside from his family, Bell speaks with doctors, lawyers, congressmen, gym rats, and professional athletes, like Olympic sprinters Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis and Tour de France cyclist Floyd Landis. He also includes footage of José Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire testifying during the federal grand jury and congressional hearings on steroid use in the major leagues (prompted by the publication of Canseco's Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big). For the most part, Bell doesn't leave any stone unturned and the personal nature of his entertaining and enlightening inquiry elevates Bigger, Stronger, Faster, i.e. The Side Effects of Being American, above your average exposé. Recommended to athletes, sports fans, health nuts, and of course, pop culture junkies. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
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User Comments About Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
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Little man complex tacken to the extreme with naivitity
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I mean no disrespect to the brother with a learning disability but the other two were pathetic. No one other than 12 year old bots are shocked when they find out Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hulk Hogan used anabolic steroids. They are also much physically larger than him as well which describes most of the physical advantages, and in part steroids.It takes you through the life of gym rat junkies thinking muscles with open the door to fame and fortune. Was really only impressed with the view interviews of congressmen and people giving testimony as to the shallow depth of coverage banning decisions were based on. This fact eludes them throughout the film, while at the same time having the minds of 21 year old boys in grown men's bodies.
The three brothers are moderately obese but strong as horses. I'm sure it will continue to get five stars based on the level of interest in learning about the subculture. The documentary is angled from the smallest of three brother who doesn't use steroids and his brothers do. (Freeze frame when the football coach open his stash). In fact it almost tells you how to enlist.
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It's balanced and personal and deals with real lives of people who you know and with whom you work and live. Bigger, Stronger, Faster is a well done, honestly written documentary that avoids the usual hyperbole involved in the steroid debate. It stays away exclusive focus on steriod usage in the upper eschalon of athletes and bodybuilders. And the personal struggles and the willingness to do whatever at whatever risk to achieve a goal is both insightful as well as a bit chilling. I left watching this a little less clear about my opinion than I was before and that's a sign of a well done presentation.
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The secret never were his muscles or he never would act in another movies beyond adventures. The truth free us, always. This point apperas to in Bowling for Columbine. The whole world know that the american athletes only compete "in juice". For example, if you know that a man 5'9" only can reach 220 lbs with natural training you can be satisfied and a sucess weighting 200-220.
A much more message dominates the whole film: Why these poor people think that they only worth if they "the first one, the better one, the bigger one". Finally the truth about the Ben Johnson' case. We always like his face, his voice, his charisma, and if in USA there are thousands of musclemen, the most in juice, how explain that they are not so famous as Schwarzenegger. Always there were stories about a tam arriving in a country to a competition and, when knew that they have a dopping test, the whole team returned to america.
THIS IS RESULT OF A IDEOLOGICAL BRAINWASH. Only a point I think that is a little exagerating: Arnold Schwarzenegger is the "dark ship" in this film. The muscles never was the answer to success, there is no shortcuts to explain this, some people have qualities that, as unique human beings, help them to be a success in some goals and are obstacles to another, and the most of them are innate qualities, not created qualities, as a brainwasher ideology would like the people believe. However, this film show much more than this and help to clear some myths against steroids. But if you, because steroids, believe that a man 5'9" can wieght 280lbs, you will kill yourself trying to reach this, and when you reach ONLY 220lbs you can think that you are a failure. You have no right to happiness if you are not a "perfect gear to the system".
This docummentary show how, explainin that Ben Johson/Carl Lewis controversy and we have only a honest conclusion to this: in a competition wiht all athletes juiced, the real champion was Ben Johnson, not Carl Lewis. If you know the truth you can choose the truth or the cheating, and analize your sucess in a more realistic base (220 to natural, 280 to juiced).
What is wrong with a view of a whole society that can not be happy being good husband, good worker, good friend, good father or mother. Also, is was commom, some years ago, that always when a no american athlet won a international competion, some "dopping test" take back the medal and it fall in american hands. We, that live in another countries always was intrigued how it can happen ,if american atlets are always " in juice".
He launched a new standard because he is a PERSONALITY. Please, when he began, so much muscles was a obstacle, not a advantage, to actor career. The problem with steroids is the truth: if the champions always tell the truht and the people can choose if they want to risk their health to be "hugge" or "the first one", or if they will choose ohter goal or other heroes that do't use them.
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Thought provoking documentary that may shatter your preconceptions ..
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"Our heroes have always used steroids." Or is that how the song goes. This film will grab you by the biceps and pecs, command your attention and make cause you to re-think much of what we have been conditioned to decide about anabolic steroids. Adolescent chubbies, all three grew up to worship weightlifting, which took them on common paths of anabolic steroid use. It seems to imply that steroids are wrapped up in the American culture (though elsewhere the film implies that the American sports establishment started using them to ape the Soviets, echo were kicking our butts in the Olympics).
Henry Waxman look like an idiot can't be all bad, not that that is such a difficult task). Focal to the story is the tale of three brothers from Poughkeepsie, NY. Instead, it is a thoughtful and thought-provoking documentary of the role of performance enhancers in our society. I expected this to be an anti-steroid film. It was neither that nor a pro-steroid commercial.
A good film. (Any film that makes Rep.
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Even better than I expected!
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He also points out that for all the ranting and raving about the dangers of steroids, alcohol and tobacco abuse count for way more illness and death than do the abuse of steroids. I wanted to see this film ever since it got outstanding reviews during its theatrical run. Do yourself a favor and pick this film up - you won't regret it. However, when I watched the dvd, I found that the reviews did not do this film justice. The best part of the film has to go to Bell's delving into why people feel the need to use performance enhancing drugs. Bell points out (rightly so), that performance enchancing drugs are a way of life in just about any walk of life, and that the majority of steroid users are the average Joes wanting to look better, not athletes.
Chris Bell's film blows away anything that Michael Moore puts out for the reason that even though Bell is against steroids, he realizes that there is a huge gray area with this subject (as there is with almost any topic). The answer. Unfortunately, that theatrical run did not include my town. Like I said earlier, this film is even better than the positive reviews it is receiving, and I would put it right up there with "Super-Size Me" as one of the better documentaries released recently. These are fine points that are never brought up by Congress or the mainstream press. The strong love of a winner found in society.
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