Bigger, Stronger, Faster* Review

Published by Jeff Leins on: October 3rd, 2008

My personal views on steroids are already documented in an earlier post about a different movie.  But here’s a much better take on the drugs.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster* The Side Effects of Being American (out now on DVD) is an extremely well-made documentary that discusses how steroids are perceived as “cheating” in sports, but fit into a culture of doing whatever it takes to get ahead.

It’s the Super Size Me of steroids.  Though instead of examining the world of bigger value meals, it takes an intelligent look at the country’s recent obsession with bigger muscles.

The film was made and narrated by Chris Bell, a former power lifter, wrestler, and steroid user.  His exploration of the issue is at times poignant, angry, touching and humorous.  But most of all it’s an unbiased, complete version of the complicated subject, rather than the media’s one-sided demonization of sports figures.

As the film points out, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire revived baseball after the devastating strike, but were later dragged in front of Congress and lambasted for setting a bad example.  Meanwhile, Sylvester Stallone, Hulk Hogan, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger became famous off of actions performed entirely on steroids.  How is it cheating in one circle and accepted in another?

Perhaps the film’s only weakness is diverting too often to Bell’s family, who are going through their own struggles with steroid use.  But, at the same time, it humanizes the conflict with real people and emotions that drives the “every day American” point home.  His brothers, “Mad Dog” and “Smelly,” are two faces of the other side of the argument, where average people are using to achieve their own “American Dream” or, in the case of an AIDs patient, to survive.

The movie also gradually broadens the topic to include the nation’s fascination with body image, the shady world of work out supplements, and the culture of medication solutions for every other problem.

A famous clip from the movie Patton shows the general addressing his troops in front of gigantic stars and stripes.  “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser.”  This is spliced with footage of real American heroes.  Olympic runners Carl Lewis and Marion Jones.  Rocky.  Barry Bonds.  All suspected of or admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.

I highly recommend this movie and you should find the DVD in a store near you.

4.5 out of 5.