Chris Bell has never seen “Gone with the Wind” or “Casablanca,” but he can recite every word of every Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.
In his movie, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster,” Bell explores the controversial topic of steroid use among his childhood heroes: professional athletes.
Bell approaches the subject through his own family’s experiences with anabolic steroids, and he interviews several doctors and athletes on both sides of the issue. The honesty of the Bell family is touching, but the best parts of the film are when Bell dishes about famous athletes.
The opening scenes of “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” show Hulk Hogan defeating the Iron Sheik for the World Wrestling Federation Championship in 1984. Hogan rips off his sleeveless T-shirt that reads “America” and exposes his leathery, chiseled physique.
Hogan, who admitted to using steroids in a 1994 trial, was a hero to Bell and his two brothers. After being inspired by athletes like Hogan and receiving a “Hulkmania” workout set for Christmas, the brothers started weightlifting.
Both of Bell’s brothers were using steroids when “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” was being filmed. In the movie, Bell himself admits to using steroids in college but said he quit because he thought it was immoral.
Bell’s older brother, Mike Bell, became a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation for a short time. Mike Bell wasn’t on the top of the card – it was his job to make the other wrestlers look good – but he was still a part of the most popular wrestling company in the country. In the film, Mike Bell describes a time he tried to kill himself because he was no longer “the best.” He continues to send promo tapes to the company (now known as WWE).
The youngest Bell brother, Mark Bell, also became a professional wrestler and at the time of filming was a weight trainer at a high school. According to Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Mark Bell was forced to resign from his job because of the movie.
There is little mention of the well-known Chris Benoit tragedy that shook the entire wrestling industry last year. Some have speculated that “roid rage” contributed to Benoit murdering his wife and 7-year-old son before committing suicide last June. Benoit’s father blames multiple concussions. Bell elected to gloss over Benoit, which was a mistake.
Bell speaks with doctors about the effects of steroid use, who mostly say steroids are no different than any other drug.
He focuses on the iconography of men like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone but also concentrates on the use of steroids in the Olympics.
He spoke with Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis about the 1988 Seoul controversy. Johnson, a Canadian, won the men’s 100m but was stripped of his gold medal after he tested positive for steroids the next day. Lewis, who came in second, was given the medal.
Later in the film, Bell speaks to an official with the International Olympic Committee who has a letter addressed to Lewis stating that he tested positive for steroids and would not be allowed to compete in Seoul, but Lewis slipped through the cracks and the committee eventually allowed Lewis to compete.
The funniest part of the film is when Bell decides to make his own supplements. He hires two illegal immigrants off a street corner, and a photographer to take before-and-after shots. The photographer shows Bell how easy it is to manipulate a photograph and even said that he has taken before-and-after shots on the same day.
Although Bell says he has a moral objection to steroid use and calls it “a dirty little secret,” his film expresses otherwise.
When he interviews people who are against steroids, they come out looking stupid. Congressman Henry Waxman’s fumbles on camera induce nothing but laughter and cringes.
According to Meltzer, Mike Bell tried to commit suicide more than once during the filming. Whether his attempts are related to steroid use or not, it was interesting that Bell elected to omit that information.
In the end, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster” may reveal a lot about steroid use but it paints itself to be more than it is: an informative, yet biased look at anabolic steroid use among athletes.
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