Poster art for "Bigger, Stronger, Faster."

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Avg. Critic Score: 80 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Bigger, Stronger, Faster is a portrait of a culture that claims to hate steroids but may, by now, be too pumped to do much about it. Read full review

  • 90
    Variety |

    More scrupulously reported than your average Michael Moore film but every bit as entertaining, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is as commercial as documentaries come. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    Raucously funny and surprisingly insightful. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    This movie is remarkable in that it seems to be interested only in facts. Read full review

  • 80
    New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier

    Entertaining, smart and snappy, this terrific doc, a Sundance favorite, digs into the country's use of steroids and how it affects sports, pop culture and the self-image of young men. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Richard James Havis

    This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach not only makes for pacey entertainment, it also allows director Christopher Bell to delve deep into the matter at hand. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    Bigger, Stronger, Faster* left me convinced that the steroid scandals will abate as the drugs are reluctantly accepted as inevitable products of a continuing revolution in biotechnology. Replaceable body parts, plastic surgery, anti-depressants, Viagra and steroids are just a few of the technological advancements in a never-ending drive to make the species superhuman. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    A hugely entertaining personal documentary about what steroids mean to American pop culture. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    A smart, funny and edifying documentary. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    He treats jocks like humans, not stars or superheroes, and in the end has managed something unique for documentaries these days: It's as entertaining as it is fair. Read full review

View more reviews for Bigger, Stronger, Faster* on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Documentary minimizes harmful effects of doping.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this documentary discusses the benefits and downsides of illegal and legal drug use and not in a balanced manner. Because the director interviews his brothers who use anabolic steroids and other drugs, his perspective is skewed and viewers will be able to tell that despite his reservations about drugs, the director admires his brothers regardless. Also, the dangers are played down, and the overwhelming statement that "everyone is doing it" smacks of justification. Drugs are shown being injected, and pills are taken to achieve a different state of being.
  • Families can talk about why being the best is so important in our society. Do you feel the need to have an edge over your peers? How far would you go to be number one? How does Smelly lie to his family and his students? How is he lying to himself? What does cheating really mean? Do the people who use anabolic steroids in this film behave differently than those who do not?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The competitive spirit turns desperate. Cheating and lies are excused.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: Lots of scenes from blow-'em-up movies, such as Rambo.
  • sex false1 Sex: A porn star is interviewed about injecting viagra.
  • language false2 Language: "Ass," "SOB"
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, and Gold's Gym are highlighted.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: This is a film about drug use. Legal or illegal, drugs are shown to affect behavior and physicality.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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