Review of Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008) by Eric A — 30 Aug 2009

In today's world of docu-tainment, it's not enough to provide a detached, academic analysis of a controversial or fascinating subject (though these still have their place). This format, like the term "documentary," is too quaint for these gut-punchingly personal movies.

All films--well, most of them--are "documents" to some degree and Chris Bell's "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*" blurs the line between narrative and nonfiction by combining the steroid debate with the quasi-redemptive arc of his two brothers, both steroid users.

What surprises is Bell's persuasiveness in upending the hierarchy of concern regarding anabolic steroids, describing their physical and societal effects in deference to the psychological impact of pumping up.

He's less disappointed with how 'roids help people cheat their competitors or their genetics than how they help people cheat their own inherently flawed and essentially unique humanity. His conclusion--that America is a nation dedicated to the suspension of bleak reality and the pursuit of success at all costs--isn't exactly new but his chronicle of the emotionally wrenching disintegration of people who refuse to regress to the mean (and the culture that enables this stubbornness), embodied by his big brother, makes you wonder how Bell's own heart doesn't break in two onscreen.