DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Andre the Giant
A Pained Portrait Of The Giant Vs. The Man
Full disclosure: I am an even bigger wrestling nerd than I am a film nerd. It began 25 years ago in the summer of 93 as I watched All American Lex Luger bodyslam the massive 600+ lb Yokozuna on the deck of the USS Intrepid. I was absolutely hooked. The characters. The athleticism. The pageantry. I knew that I wanted to be a part of this world. My fandom didn't take too long to turn into full blown fanaticism. I couldn't consume enough wrestling. I'd rent every tape from the local Blockbuster. I'd watch every documentary and read every biography along with all the magazines. I found the world of professional wrestling to be utterly fascinating. That opinion hasn't changed in 25 years. I consider myself to have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the industry and it always makes me smile when companies as big as HBO Documentary Films take the time to shine a spotlight on something I hold so dear. Let's hope they don't mess it up.
When former sports writer Bill Simmons created the wildly successful 30 for 30 sports documentary series for ESPN, Andre The Giant was at the forefront of his mind. Andre was near the top of his list of subjects that he wanted to tackle. The biggest hurdle he had to clear in order to make that happen was to get the WWE to play ball. Initially, WWE chairman Vince McMahon decided to pass. Andre is something that Vince holds dear to his heart and didn't want to tarnish his legacy. He was afraid the film might make Andre the butt of the joke. Once he began to realize that Simmons held Andre in the highest of regards as well, Vince conceded and we got our film.
As I've stated, I'm a wrestling historian, so there wasn't much here that I didn't already know about. The average viewer, however, was treated to a rich and loving portrayal of the legend. Andre The Giant has got to be a dream subject for any documentarian. A man that people want to know more about simply by laying eyes on him, Andre was so much more than his appearance. He was sweet. And funny. And loyal.
As a joint production with WWE, the film comes armed with loads of archival footage. Thank god, because I don't think it would have been nearly as effective otherwise. We hear from many instrumental figures in Andre's life, from family members to Vince McMahon to longtime friend/rival Hulk Hoganand his castmates from The Princess Bride. While the film is heartbreaking at points, they do a good job of sprinkling in some funny stories, such as tales of Andre's legendary flatulence (side note: I can promise you these anecdotes were as tame as they get. The late great Bad News Brown knows exactly just how bad it can get to be on the wrong end of an Andre fart) and Andre's absurd alcohol consumption (Hogan still has the airport receipt confirming Andre's 106 beer intake).
The meat of the documentary recounts the events leading up to and including Wrestlemania III where Andre and Hogan went face to face in the biggest match in wrestling history until that point. Andre's health was on a rapid decline at the time. He had very little left to give at this point and it showed. But it was the Pontiac Silverdome in front of the biggest crowd in wrestling history(a Wrestlemania record which stood until just two years ago) and he was there to do the job out of sheer will and loyalty towards Vince.
Andre Roussimoff is a fascinating human being who lived a life in constant pain with a smile on his face and a beer in his hand. He wanted nothing more than just one week where he could walk amongst the crowds unnoticed to buy groceries. He died alone, feeling resentful and abandoned by the business that he'd given his body to. I'd like to think he got the peace he so sought after. I'm sorry, Andre. You could never blend in. You were born for greatness.
8/10