Andre the Giant

Masterful look at the man and myth that pretty much does everything it needed to. The one tiny caveat I have is that it would have perhaps been beneficial to show the painful final few matches he had just to give a sense of how far he'd fallen, but I get that they didn't want to dwell too much on the sad end. Plenty of tear jerking moments.

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"

An intimate look at one athlete who could be considered truly larger than life, the aptly-named pro wrestling legend Andre the Giant. Not content to simply lean on accrued television footage or the countless tall tales about his epic nights out on the town, this HBO documentary intends to dig deeper, for a closer look at the man behind the myths and exagerrations. As a means of drawing back the curtain, we catch glimpses of Andre's upbringing, from the double-wide handmade chair that still sits at his childhood kitchen table to countless candid photos and clips from the dawn of his career in the ring. It's not a particularly happy story, laced as it is with the everyday difficulties of a jumbo-sized man in a normal-sized world, disconnected familial relationships and chronic pain as his frame struggled to deal with its own mass, but it does feel honest and (mostly) true. The one notable exception being Andre's big main event with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, which seems overly romanticized if not slightly misleading. A better chance to get to know who the giant was away from cameras, to understand his suffering and recognize that, although his size did reap untold fame and fortune, it also made enjoying those fruits excruciatingly difficult or downright impossible. I feel like we barely skimmed the surface.

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.

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