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Bigger Stronger Faster*
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    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.
  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Don R. Lewis
    90
    Bell's documentary is an absolute must see for anyone taking part in any kind of debate about steroids.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Carina Chocano
    90
    Raucously funny and surprisingly insightful.
  4. Variety
    Reviewed by: Peter Debruge
    90
    More scrupulously reported than your average Michael Moore film but every bit as entertaining, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is as commercial as documentaries come.
  5. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    This movie is remarkable in that it seems to be interested only in facts.
  6. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Teddy Greenstein
    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."
  7. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    83
    Entertaining and informative.
  8. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    83
    Attempts to look beyond the hysteria and consider exactly how and why a culture that values physical power has internalized the idea that steroid use in sports is a scourge.
  9. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Richard James Havis
    80
    This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach not only makes for pacey entertainment, it also allows director Christopher Bell to delve deep into the matter at hand.
  10. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    80
    Entertaining, smart and snappy, this terrific doc, a Sundance favorite, digs into the country's use of steroids and how it affects sports, pop culture and the self-image of young men.
  11. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michelle Orange
    80
    Scrappy, remarkably expansive, crazily watchable.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    80
    Bigger, Stronger, Faster* left me convinced that the steroid scandals will abate as the drugs are reluctantly accepted as inevitable products of a continuing revolution in biotechnology. Replaceable body parts, plastic surgery, anti-depressants, Viagra and steroids are just a few of the technological advancements in a never-ending drive to make the species superhuman.
  13. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    80
    Perfectly reflects the range of this funny, disturbing and complex tale.
  14. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Josh Rosenblatt
    78
    Full of revelations, all brought to light by Bell's good-natured, Michael Moore-lite dogging of athletes, health experts, government officials, and even his own parents.
  15. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    75
    While Bell makes the point that pros account for about 85 percent of total usage, he is more interested in why others - including a guy with the world's biggest biceps, who admits they repulse women - are so driven to be Bigger, Stronger, Faster*.
  16. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Reyhan Harmanci
    75
    A smart, funny and edifying documentary.
  17. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    A hugely entertaining personal documentary about what steroids mean to American pop culture.
  18. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    70
    He treats jocks like humans, not stars or superheroes, and in the end has managed something unique for documentaries these days: It's as entertaining as it is fair.
  19. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    70
    Bell presides over this insightful, often droll survey like a sweeter, buffer version of Michael Moore, trolling gyms, universities, and Congress to grill assorted experts.
  20. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    67
    It's an interesting and eye-opening journey.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. tonydjr
    9
    Great movie! About family, choices, the grayness of heroes, and the conflict between the regulation and usage of steroids for athletes, regular joes, and the ill, who need it the most. Makes you wonder about atheletes, their choices, how others perceive them, and what you would do given their situation.… Full Review »
  2. kelam
    10
    This is the best documentary I have ever seen;far better than those dumbed down and biased movies of that judgmental prick Michael Moore
  3. JonH
    0
    Some fat lazy deluded bible-bashing drug-taking family presenting their uninformed opinions on the silver screen as if they were scientific fact.
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