Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
by Christopher Bell
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DVD details
Actor: Christian Boeving, Christopher Bell, Floyd Landis, Mark Bell, Mike BellDirector: Christopher Bell
Brand: Magnolia Films
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-30
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Model: 10140
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Product features:
- 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
DVD Reviews of Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
DVD Review: Pumping Iron
Summary: 4 Stars
Growing up, Poughkeepsie natives Christopher Bell and his two brothers idolized male figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hulk Hogan, and Sylvester Stallone, who all represented the American ideals of strength, determination, and above all, victory. Consider the fact that, in a 1984 edition of "Championship Wrestling," Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik, a pro wrestler from Iran. As both Rocky and Rambo, Stallone fought against a number of foreign adversaries and won. Schwarzenegger was not born in America, but hey, he sure knew how to kick butt on the big screen. Of course, he did become an American citizen, and as we all know, he managed to be elected as Governor of California.
So what did the Bell brothers learn from all this? Aside from the fact that they all became bodybuilders after growing up overweight, they learned that ours is not only the greatest country, but also the strongest. If you want to be a hero, then you have to be the best. But as they got older, the Bells learned the truth: Their heroes became the best only through the use of steroids.
What's so fascinating about Christopher Bell's documentary "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*: *The Side Effects of Being American" is that it exposes hypocrisy, although not in the way you might expect. We're always so vocal in our opposition to performing enhancing drugs, and yet they're needed because we demand the absolute best out of sports figures. So what's worse? Steroids or weakness? This is a question Bell himself continues to grapple with, having given up on steroids after years of believing that they were the way to go. His brothers, however, still use them to this day. One of them, Mike Bell (nicknamed Mad Dog), even tried his hand at getting into pro wrestling. The thing is, he wants to be a superstar, not an athlete. This may explain why he's only been able to achieve minor status as pro wrestling's preplanned loser. Despite the fact that he's now considered too old for it, Mad Dog continues to train; "I was born to attain greatness," he tells his brother, "and I'm the only one that's holding myself back."
The other brother, Mike Bell (nicknamed Smelly), gave up on a wrestling career to teach PE at a local school. He's settled down with a beautiful wife and has a son. But he's still a competitive weightlifter, which is to say that he must juice up to keep himself in top form. At one point, he promised his wife that he would give steroids up. Later on, when he's alone with his brother and his camera crew, he freely admits that he was lying. What's interesting is that he admits it without a shred of guilt in his voice. Bell expresses his concern, saying he's worried about his brother losing his wife, his job, and his life in general. Smelly claims that he'll have nothing left if he loses his either of those things, although I can't help but feel he was just telling his brother what he wanted to hear.
This isn't to say that Smelly was taking like an addict. Indeed, part of this documentary's mission is to tells us that, by in large, steroid use isn't all that dangerous. Consider the fact that anabolic steroids are used in everyday medical practice for the treatment of cancer, HIV, asthma, and osteoporosis. Are there side effects? Sure, but all medications have side effects. Bell seems to pointing out what marijuana advocates continue to point out: There are worse drugs out there. Bell takes a moment to point out that the United States is the only country in the world that requires its fighter pilots to use amphetamines to keep alert. In April of 2002, two pilots in Afghanistan mistakenly dropped a bomb that killed four Canadians; in all likelihood, the "go pills" they were given before the mission impaired their judgment. In spite of this, the media will pounce on professional athletes like Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire, who both made national headlines when they were caught using steroids. The question is: Would they have achieved greatness without getting that special boost?
One of Bell's most fascinating interviews was with Donald Hooton of Plano, Texas. In 2003, his teenage son, Taylor, committed suicide. He was a baseball player who used anabolic steroids to improve his game. When he quit using, he fell into a deep depression and never came out, even though he was prescribed an antidepressant. Ever since then, Hooton has been on a mission to raise awareness and provide counsel for teen athletes and their parents. Bell makes an observation: If Hooton wants to raise awareness, why not include information on other abused substances, like antidepressants, some of which are known to induce suicidal thoughts? Hooton asserts that it was steroid use and nothing else that killed his son, which is to say that he doesn't want to focus on other substances. He claims that it's not just about putting an asterisk next to the names of every professional athlete that's ever used; "The primary issue is the kids," he said in an interview with Bob Greene of WFAA TV. "Their idols are making the choice to use performing enhancing drugs and the kids are following their lead."
Not at all unlike what happened to Bell. But if the facts and figures he presents in "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*" are accurate, if his resources are reliable, then there must come a point when we need to stop playing the blame game. Then again, the decriminalization of steroids wouldn't change the fact that Americans are far too fixated on an ideal that, in most cases, won't be met. Bell interviews a number of older bodybuilders who never advance yet always seem to be in training; there's something so depressing about them, the way they stare at old billboard-sized photos of Arnold Schwarzenegger as they continuously lift and lower their barbells.
Description of Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
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?
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
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