Bigger, Stronger, Faster* | 
| Director: Christopher Bell
Actors: Christopher Bell, Mark Bell, Mike Bell, Christian Boeving, Floyd Landis
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $16.99
You Save: $9.99 (37%)
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Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 3898
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 10140
UPC: 876964001403
EAN: 0876964001403
ASIN: B001B7CNW4
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: September 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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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.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 Jose 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 expose. Recommended to athletes, sports fans, health nuts, and of course, pop culture junkies. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Chris Bell's Engaging, Heartfelt Look At Steroids and his Family July 7, 2008
thornhillatthemovies.com (Venice, CA United States)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
"Bigger, Stronger, Faster", the new documentary from Chris Bell, and produced by many of the people who have worked on Michael Moore's documentaries, is a very entertaining, level-handed look at the use of steroids in America.
"Bigger" is better than your average documentary for two key reasons. Chris Bell is a likable, very real guy and he guides us through this maze of information much like he probably learned about it in the first place, giving us an in depth look into the use of steroids and how they have affected both the practice and perception of sports in America, and to a lesser extent, the world.
The second, and perhaps more important reason this film sticks out is because it comes from a personal place in Chris' life. As he quickly explains during the beginning of the film, he was the middle of three children, all boys, who grew up with a loving, overweight mother and a loving, but busy with work father. In an attempt to stand out from the rest of the kids, each of the brothers decides to take up weight lifting and try to become famous as wrestlers, hoping to follow the likes of their heroes, Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger into the limelight. They each transform their chubby bodies into bulky muscle powerhouses, but the fame is still fleeting.
Chris' older brother, Mark, actually makes it into the WWE, but his role is that of the guy who always gets beaten up by the more powerful and more famous wrestlers. He doesn't last long. So he starts to take steroids.
Chris decides the way to make it into the limelight is to move to Southern California, to be closer to the action, and the auditions. He naturally ends up at Venice Beach and gets a job working in Gold's Gym, the place made famous by many weightlifters and body builders, by Schwarzenegger and Stallone. In a particularly telling moment, Chris speaks with one of the gym members, a man well past his prime who continues to work out at the gym, and lives in his small van in the gym parking lot. You can tell from the expression on Chris' face he sees the similarities between them as he looks at the guys living quarters. You can almost see him pray that he won't end up in the same situation; homeless, working out, continuing to hope for stardom.
Chris' younger brother, Mike, had development problems growing up, so he decided to follow his other brothers into weightlifting and bodybuilding. This focus clearly helped him to improve his life and his attention to detail, but he also decides to try to improve the workouts through the use of steroids.
Chris knows his brothers use steroids, but he has stayed away from them. He wonders why one of three children would feel the need to do things the 'right' way, the harder way, and stay away from the drugs? This is what leads him on the journey through this documentary.
The best scenes involve Chris and his family. On a visit home, he talks to his mom, a perfectly likable, overweight, middle-aged woman who spends her life as a stay-at-home mom. As they talk, she makes a batch of her famous bar cookies for a local high school sports team. It is unclear why she still makes these for the local high school, but it is clear the bars are both very good and not low fat. Chris claims his mother doesn't know that his brother use steroids. She may not admit it, but you can tell she knows. Late in the film, Chris has dinner with his brothers and mom and dad and steers the conversation towards steroids, hoping that his brothers will finally admit it to their parents. Mom asks a few questions, giving the brothers an opportunity to come clean. But they keep their secret. And so does mom.
As he meets with and talks to his brothers, we learn each of their stories and they couldn't be more different.
But Chris also seeks to understand the influence of steroids throughout sports. He speaks with many people, both pro and con, amateur and professional, and it appears that everyone is using some sort of enhancement. As the tagline for the film states "if everyone is doing something, can it be illegal?"
He talks about how heartbroken he was when he learned Hulk Hogan was using steroids, despite all of the famous wrestler's encouragement to get bigger through hard work. He talks about former NFL player Lyle Alzado's sickness, which the NFL Player attributed to the use of steroids. Interestingly, the footage from an interview used in the film features Maria Shriver in her pre-Mrs. Ahnuld career. He talks about Stallone and interviews both Carl Lewis and Floyd Landis. These moments, interspersed with graphics, and other amusing methods of presenting the message, combined with the personal side of the story, make for compelling viewing.
There are also a few scenes from an old after school special featuring Ben Affleck dealing with the side effects of using steroids. These scenes provide a welcome moment of laughter because they are so over the top and heavy handed.
I think Chris may have actually found his entry into the limelight. I could easily see him parlaying this film into a television series or series of specials, ala Morgan Spurlock. They have similar personalities and Spurlock has made a number of films and season 3 of "30 Days", the series of documentaries he makes for FX is currently airing. Chris is an extremely pleasant, likable person who clearly listens to his subjects, whatever their position, taking everything in. As he presents both sides of the argument, he appears to be genuinely interested in what they have to say, waiting for them to finish and for his mind to process before forming an opinion of his own.
 Documentary Perfection July 2, 2008
Clyda Bell (Westchester, NY USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Clever, Funny, Touching!!! An absolute MUST see. A family touched by the use of steriods, a parent's perspective through tragedy and triumph. The good, the bad, the ugly and anything you can imagine in between. This movie is so objective it begs you to have your own opinion about the topic. Don't miss it, buy a copy for your local high school or library... Tons of acurate information that will benefit the masses!
Fascinating look at steroids' effect on the lives of the Bell family August 22, 2008
Andy Orrock (Dallas, TX)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
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.
Where Have All the Heroes Gone? October 4, 2008
Rocky Raccoon (Boise, ID)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
"That, that, that don't kill me, can only make me stronger." Kanye West-"Stronger"
`Bigger, Stronger, Faster' is fair, fun, and informative. Thoroughly taking every angle on the issue of steroid use, filmmaker Christopher Bell has ample material to back up his case for and against one of the most used and abused drugs going nowadays.
First he focuses on his own family. He is the middle child of three boys. Mike "Mad Dog" Bell is the eldest, and Mark "Smelly" Bell is the youngest. All three have aspirations of bigness. Literally. Mark wants to be a professional wrestler, and Mike wants to be a champion power-lifter. All three have used steroids. Chris, the narrator, only used it once, but stopped because he thought it was "immoral". This openness may have us questioning his credentials, but he is as thorough as he is fair.
Among his interviewees are John Romaro, senior editor of `Muscular Development,' Dr. Guy Wilder, New Jersey Congressman, Henry Waxman, Floyd Landis, Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson. His highlights include video clips from several steroid scandals, including the ones on Capital Hill featuring Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, and Barry Bonds. We also get some footage of Senator Joe Biden's indignation as well as Senator Orin Hatch's impassioned pleas for deregulation of supplements.
To indicate the fairness and breadth of this documentary, Bell interviews an HIV survivor who testifies and shows convincing evidence that steroids have saved and improved his life. Another selling point is when he interviews Donald Hooton, father of his deceased son, Keller, who allegedly took his own life after withdrawing from steroids. Here they reveal that the boy was on prescription anti-depressants as well. On the con side, he interviews Gregory Valentino, who admits that steroid abuse have given him the largest, but most hideous biceps. He even interviews porn star, Christian Boeving, for Pete's sake.
One of the best features Bell presents is the straightforward "Steroids 101," which sorts out myth from fact well on the side effects of steroids.
Although he tries, as a filmmaker he isn't as smooth or funny as Morgan Spurlock or Andy Rooney, but his thrust is so exhaustive, yet honest, you can't help but admire his ability to present a case and let the people watching make up their own minds. Christopher Bell doesn't hide his misgivings about those whom he felt cheated to win, but it's rare that you get someone so upfront about his agenda, yet so willing to give everyone a chance to speak their minds.
A J.P.'s Pick 4*'s =Very Good
Fantastic July 3, 2008
Thomas Hagood
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This movie is outstanding. One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. The movie uses performance enhancing drugs as a means for taking an inside look at all of American culture. Chris Bell has a really fascinating take on the issue.
I love sports and weightlifting, and this movie really leaves you thinking. Sure using PEDS is cheating, but is this any different from a concert musician using beta blockers before a performance, or American fighter pilots taking amphetamines (when no other country uses them)??
Fantastic movie, see this!
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