DVD
Upcoming Release Calendar
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Recent DVD/Video Releases
58
Adam Resurrected
65
Adoration
42
Aliens in the Attic
56
American Violet
44
Answer Man, The
82
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
58
Away We Go
54
Battle for Terra
55
Casi Divas
63
Cheri
83
Drag Me to Hell
76
Every Little Step
70
Fados
26
Filth and Wisdom
80
Food, Inc.
34
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
67
Girlfriend Experience, The
32
I Love You, Beth Cooper
50
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
81
Il Divo
32
Land of the Lost
74
Lemon Tree
43
Love 'N Dancing
64
Lymelife
50
Management
63
Medicine for Melancholy
56
Monsters vs. Aliens
34
My Life in Ruins
48
Not Forgotten
76
Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!
50
Nothing Like the Holidays
26
Objective, The
54
Observe and Report
78
O'Horten
42
Orphan
48
Proposal, The
40
Shrink
55
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The
35
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
88
Tulpan
66
Unmistaken Child
45
Whatever Works
34
Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Documentary
Written by:
Christopher Bell
Alexander Buono
Directed by: Christopher Bell
Release Date:
Theatrical: May 30, 2008
DVD: September 30, 2008
Running Time: 105 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
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? 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? (Magnolia)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
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.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Don R. Lewis
Bell's documentary is an absolute must see for anyone taking part in any kind of debate about steroids.
Read Full Review >Variety Peter Debruge
More scrupulously reported than your average Michael Moore film but every bit as entertaining, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is as commercial as documentaries come.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Teddy Greenstein
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."
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This movie is remarkable in that it seems to be interested only in facts.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
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.
Read Full Review >Newsweek David Ansen
Perfectly reflects the range of this funny, disturbing and complex tale.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
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.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Joe Neumaier
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.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis
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.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
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.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
A hugely entertaining personal documentary about what steroids mean to American pop culture.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
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*.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Stephen Hunter
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.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
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.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
It's an interesting and eye-opening journey.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
tonydjr gave it a9:
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.
Jon H gave it a0:
Some fat lazy deluded bible-bashing drug-taking family presenting their uninformed opinions on the silver screen as if they were scientific fact.
Derek S. gave it a9:
I thought the movie was perfect at showing the truth about steroids. Lou Lumenick is a dolt though, Bell showed that only 15% of the population using roids are professional athletes, with 85% being the average gym rat.
B Daddy gave it a9:
Documentary movies are usually boring, but this is informative and asks intelligent questions. I especially liked the interview of Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson -- 100m nemesis both caught using steroids. This will challenge your opinion as to why steroids are illegal -- it did mine.
Jay H gave it a7:
Very well researched and informative, it has a good balance on view points. Decent narration. I was always interested in the film, but it does get a bit repetitive. Still fascinating and it certainly makes you think.
arbie gave it a9:
Really, really fantastic. A wonderfully produced film that shows great balance -- I enjoyed this almost more for its quality and approach to the material than the material itself. The subjects are utterly human. It's easy to really want them to succeed as a result of this film.
