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About this movie

Genres:
Documentary
Language:
English
Running time:
1:46:36
Partner rating:
PG-13
Released:
Quality:
480 (DVD equivalent)

Cast & Crew

Cast

  1. Chris Bell
  2. Mike Bell
  3. Mark Bell
  4. Carl Lewis
  5. Barry Bonds
  6. Christian Boeving
  7. Mark "Smelly" Bell
  8. Mike "Mad Dog" Bell
  9. Rosemary Bell
  10. Sheldon Bell
  11. Wade Exum
  12. Donald Hooton
  13. Ben Johnson
  14. Floyd Landis
  15. John Romano
  16. Jeff Taylor
  17. Gregg Valentino
  18. Gary Wadler

Directors

  1. Chris Bell
  2. Christopher Bell

Producers

  1. Jim Czarnecki
  2. Alexander Buono
  3. Tamsin Rawady

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Bigger, Stronger, Faster

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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.


Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes

Scored 'fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes

96%Tomatometer score: 96% positive reviews from professional critics.

percent positive reviews

  1. Positive review
    Don Groves, sbs.com.au A dangerous side effect of being a 'true' American. Full review External link
  2. Positive review
    Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic A thoughtful, informative and thoroughly entertaining examination of the role of performance-enhancing drugs in modern life. Full review External link
  3. Positive review
    Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter A lively and incisive look into the nation's growing preoccupation with pumped-up superlatives.
  4. Positive review
    Tom Long, Detroit News Smart, touching and enlightening, a combination that makes Bigger, Stronger, Faster the best documentary of the year so far. Full review External link
  5. Positive review
    Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post By making this journey personal, a powerful vulnerability permeates the film. Full review External link
  6. Positive review
    David Ansen, Newsweek It'll shake up your beliefs not just about steroids but about competition, hypocrisy, body obsession and American notions of masculinity. Full review External link
  7. Positive review
    Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle Bell posits that their disillusionment is a side effect of being American and he may well be right. Full review External link
  8. Positive review
    Peter Schilling, Minneapolis Star Tribune Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is that rare film that truly challenges its audience. Full review External link
  9. Positive review
    Ty Burr, Boston Globe A hugely entertaining personal documentary about what steroids mean to American pop culture. Full review External link
  10. Positive review
    Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times This movie is remarkable in that it seems to be interested only in facts. Full review External link

Read more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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