Andre the Giant

A terrific documentary. I enjoyed it very much. A nice overall sense of "the man!"

HBO Sports does a documentary on the iconic giant wrestling star. He is one of a kind. He is also very human. This is able to show both of him. It marries with the rise of WWF with the new cable TV from the regionalized local wrestling worlds. His pain is the most compelling aspect of this documentary. I know most of the other stuff. Of course, I already knew about his pain but it doesn't hit me until his suffering is put front and center. He's a friendly giant but like everyone else, he has his suffering along with his joy. He is a giant and a human being.

When it comes to sports entertainment, there is no doubt that Andre the Giant is one of the most iconic figures ever to walk the planet. In a land of mere mortals, he was a literal giant, both in physical stature and prosaic legend. He deserves a documentary befitting that sort of gravitas, which is exactly what this doc provides.

Basically, this documentary tells the story of Andre The Giant though three distinct lenses:

Andre the man: Chronicles his family life (I had never seen interviews with his siblings and/or daughter until now), as well as his very early days in France and when he was just breaking into the wrestling business. Some of the early videos of him in the ring are truly spectacular. The youthful giant!

Andre the myth: A decent chunk of this doc is spent re-hashing the old stories about Andre, such as his legendary drinking habits and sometimes irascible temper at those he didn't like (although for the most part he was very much a "gentle giant" in every sense of that phrase). Also, a good look is given at just how difficult traveling was for him, as basically an oversized man living in a normal-sized world (cars too small, airplane bathrooms a no-go, etc.)

Andre the wrestler: As is fitting, more time is given to this portion than anything else. Beginning with Andre's run through the wrestling territories of the 1970s, it then heavily focuses on his time in Vince McMahon's WWF, where he (and the business as a whole) rose to international fame. One of the highlights of the entire documentary is the multiple interviews with Hulk Hogan, especially his recollections of the iconic Wrestlemania III showdown between himself and the Giant. That was the match that truly got me into professional wrestling (and I'm guessing I'm not alone in that statement), so deservedly it gets a lot of rope here.

Overall, "Andre" is a wonderful documentary about the life of one of the world's most interesting figures. The only reason I can't give it the full 10 star treatment is because it probably could have used a bit more structure in its storytelling technique (it really bounces around from topic to topic and in time as well). Other than that minor quibble, though, the strong HBO production values and the ability to procure interesting and relevant interview subjects (always key when the subject being covered is no longer living) vault this to the rarified air of top documentaries. Even if you don't necessarily have a vested interest in professional wrestling, you can find something to be fascinated with in this hour and a half.

Towards the end of this film, someone compares Andre to Davy Crockett - as much myth as man. It is an apt comparison, and it makes a film like this pretty tough to make. You could tell every mythic Andre legend and skip the humanity...you could focus only on the humanity and miss the legend. This doc resides right at the intersection, and it succeeds for that reason. They capture what made Andre Andre while resisting the urge to tell every single story for 5 hours. As a child of the 80s, simply revisiting the first few Wrestlemanias and The Princess Bride was a blast. It is entertaining, and - just as importantly - it is human. Also, it is captivating.

Always was a pro wrestling fan grew up with it in the 1980's during it's height of fame. And all of us remember and were thrilled with the 8th wonder of the world the one and only "Andre the Giant"! And this new "HBO" doc is wonderful and great as it tells of his upbringing and rapid growth in a small French town. And the stories of how "Andre" started his journey to the ring, finally breaking into the "North America" circuit during the days of regional and territorial wrestling.

As the doc showed it was in the early 80's when Vince McMahon took over the then "WWF" and would expand it nationwide with the use of cable TV by putting it on the "USA Network". This prime exposure helped "Andre" grow into a superstar and household name. Also along with his feud with star "Hulk Hogan" helped put the giant on the map and his popularity would grow as even movie roles became available.

Also shown and seen was the pain and sorrow that "Andre" faced due to his size like knee injuries, and his body was slowly breaking down due to his size as common things like sitting, sleeping, and travel was such a challenge due to his freak size, plus he was a food and alcohol freak! The highlights and footage is classic and revealing interviews are given from "Hulk Hogan", "Ric Flair", and "Vince McMahon" as they remember the good times and were sad and emotionally touched by his tragic downfall at the end. Overall this is one doc to watch if your a classic wrestling fan as it's a historical tribute to an icon and liked legend who was special for being different and being himself by being the one and only giant and that was "Andre"