I finally had the opportunity to screen the steroid documentary Bigger Stronger Faster* at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival! This is a movie that I have waited over 15 months to see. During this time. I’ve talked to several friends who were interviewed for the film and I’ve had the chance to meet and talk to director Christopher Bell on a few occasions; I even interviewed Chris for MESO-Rx in advance of the world premiere of Bigger Stronger Faster*. As a result, my expectations were quite high for the film.
I was not disappointed as Bigger Stronger Faster* was beautifully done - well-written and well-produced by co-producers Tamsin Rawady and Alex Buono (who were at the screening along with Chris). It was well-received by the audience as well.
Chris Bell has an unassuming and non-confrontational inteview style and combined it with an amazing talent for asking the right questions. This was the key to the film as it allowed the participants to tell the steroid narrative in their own words without directorial editorializing.
I will write a more thoughtful and extensive review in the next few weeks. But I would like to briefly share a couple of thoughts about the documentary.
While this is a documentary that is very much about anabolic steroids, it is about much more. It is as if it uses the topic of steroids to explore larger issues in society. Producer Alex Buono admitted during the post-screening question and answer session that steroids were not a topic that particularly interested him; but Chris Bell’s story was compelling for reasons beyond steroids and that fascinated him.
The documentary reveals a very strong degree of anti-intellectualism that is unashamedly embraced by some participants in the steroid debate. I asked director Chris Bell about these issues after the screening. You may seen the live stream that was posted yesterday. If not, you can see Chris’ comments in the embedded youtube clip below.
I highly recommend this film to all our readers. It premieres at theatres in Los Angeles and New York on May 30, 2008 and at select theatres nationwide on June 6, 2008.
MESO-Rx is traveling to Dallas to review the steroid documentary and meet up with director Chris Bell. We will have a few live interviews available throughout the afternoon. Please follow me on Twitter to be notified immediately every time there is a live stream from the event. And if you’re in Dallas for the screening, send us a Tweet and meet MESO-Rx and the Bigger Stronger Faster guys afterwards.
“Bigger, Stronger, Faster,” which will inevitably be described as reminiscent of Michael Moore because the director, Chris Bell, has a strong and humorous voice and he’s out to explore nothing less than the American dream, through the lens of the bodybuilding craze that made he and his brothers take steroids like they were candy. Since we were full up at the inn already, we squeezed it in to the Forrest at 5pm on Friday, right up against the March into March.
I’ve been staying in touch with director Chris Bell since I first learned he was making a steroid documentary. I have talked to several of the “stars” of the movie such as William Llewellyn, Rick Collins, and John Romano regarding their interviews and their appearances in “Bigger Stronger Faster.” I have interviewed Chris about the steroid documentary just before its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. All indicators suggest it will be a well-received and perhaps even a commercial success. Hopefully, it will come to a theater near you soon. If you are not fortunate enough to see the movie at Sundance, please enjoy the following movie posters for the steroid documentary, “Bigger Stronger Faster*,” in the meantime.
Last night was the world premier of Christopher Bell’s steroid documentary, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster - Is It Still Cheating if Everyone is Doing it?” at the Sundance Film Festival. I hope it wins the prize. It features dozens of people, both pro-steroid and anti-steroid, including Rick Collins, William Llewellyn, and John Romano. I just interviewed the director Chris Bell and will post the transcript of my interview with him shortly!
