Bigger, Stronger, FasterFrom IMDB
In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world...
Cast
Chris Bell
Hank Aaron
Lyle Alzado
Mark Bell
Mike Bell
Rosemary Bell
Sheldon Bell
Joseph R. Biden
Christian Boeving
Barry Bonds
Jim Bunning
George Bush
George W. Bush
Jose Canseco
Rick Collins
Wade Exum
Orrin G. Hatch
Hulk Hogan
Donald Hooton
Ben Johnson
Marion Jones
John F. Kennedy
Floyd Landise)
Stan Lee
Carl Lewis
Mickey Mantle
Roger Maris
Mark McGwire
Marilyn Monroe
Joe Niekro
Rafael Palmeiro
Ronald Reagan
John Romano
Giovanni Roselli
Rosie Ruiz
Babe Ruth
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Maria Shriver
Sammy Sosa
Sylvester Stallone
John Sweeney
Jeff Taylor
Gregg Valentino
Gary Wadler
Diane Watson
Henry Waxman
Tiger Woods
Plot
In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs? Director Christopher Bell explores America's win-at-all-cost culture by examining how his two brothers became members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. Written by BSF Film
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*Directed by Christopher Bell
Average customer review:
Product Description
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?From the producers of Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 comes a new film that unflinchingly explores our win-at-all-cost culture through the lens of a personal journey. 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?Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/BIOGRAPHY UPC: 876964001403 Manufacturer No: 10140
- Amazon Sales Rank: #101 in DVD
- Brand: BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER (DVD MOVIE)
- Released on: 2008-09-30
- Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
- Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
- Original language: English
- Number of discs: 1
- Dimensions: .15 pounds
- Running time: 107 minutes
Amazon.com
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
Customer Reviews
Excellent Documentary
The best documentary I've seen in years. I recommend this to everyone, whether you're interested in the U.S. drug policy controversy, from one side or the other, or if you just want to learn something or see something interesting.
I can't understand how the creator got some of these people to say the things they did on camera, and I have to give serious credit to Don Hooton for standing up and debating the issues relating to the death of his son, clearly knowing the interviewer disagreed with him.
An excellent use of 2 hours of my life.
Finally..the truth about steroid use.
One sign of a great documentary is they way it makes you rethink the party line on whatever topic is being addressed. This movie does exactly that -- in contrast to the countless TV news segments on the horrors of steroid use this movie attempts to paint a more balanced picture of this subject. Now, common sense tells you that ANYTHING that you put into your body that turns you into a 24" neckline hulk is PROBABLY not the best thing for you. But, it's clear that this is the image of 'perfection' that popular media and sports has portrayed to our youth since the dawn of the TV age. The same image that Congress recently demonized through the attention-whore antics displayed through their MLB hearings. (BTW Congress...thanks for 'solving' this threat to the USA while you allowed energy costs to spiral out of control and help nudge us even further into a recession...gee I'm impressed with our leadership).
The way the movie points out that ANY profession that can be benefited by chemically enhanced performance will drive the competitors for the profession to seek out and use said chemicals (including musicians who audition for placement in a paid orchestra!) is a real eye opener.
No easy answer to this subject, and no attempt to hand out an answer is given by this movie. But, it makes you think. Which is a good thing.
Really impressive contribution by a young previously unheard of filmmaker. I look forward to seeing the next piece of work from Mr. Bell. Buy or rent this documentary. You won't be disappointed.
Fascinating look at steroids' effect on the lives of the Bell family
Chris Bell's "Bigger, Stronger Faster*" is a brilliant documentary. His triumph is to crystallize the steroids debate into its effects on a single family: His own. The stars of the film are the Bell brothers - big brother Mark (aka, Mad Dog) is a would-be WWE wrestler; younger brother Mike (aka, Smelly) is one of the world's top power lifters; and writer/director Chris - no less addicted to perfecting his physique - balances his bodybuilding obsession with a degree from USC Film School. His unique blend of interest and career path has given us a fascinating film.
Here's the thing: his work is neither ardently pro- nor anti-steroids. But, as its subtitle ("the side-effects of being American") implies, Bell notes what happens when three young brothers obsessed with wrestling (we see family tapes of them re-enacting WWE plotlines) have the various heroes of their youth (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone as notable examples) subsequently revealed as pharmaceutically-fueled.
It's a testament to Bell's skill as a filmmaker that the unexpected standout is Smelly's wife, Andie. Attractive and articulate, she emerges as the soul of the film. She comes across as a decent, trusting person. Without belaboring the point, Bell makes you see her as testament to his brother's depth and inherent goodness. Her presence also evokes feelings of betrayal in the film-goer when Smelly begins to waffle on his "no more steroids" vow at the end of the film.
Despite the glut of documentaries that have flooded the film world over the past two years, this one ranks at the top of my list.
Hot New Releases in Movies & TV @ Amazon.com
Cheap new DVD releases
Just Arrived - Hottest DVD releases
