*The Side Effect of Being American.

This was an interesting, if slightly frustrating film. It is a documentary in a style similar to that employed by Michael Moore with Sicko and Morgan Spurlock with Super Size Me. It is fast paced, filled with all sorts of facts, funny, interesting, and overall an entertaining movie. Now, if you are not aware of this film, you should be. It concerns the effects of steroids, the facts, the myths, and the drive to be the best at what you do. No, it is not a uniquely American effect, but there is this drive to be the best that is instilled in the young at a very early age.

The documentary has come to my area for a limited one-week run, so I wanted to make sure I went out to see it. The man behind the film, Chris Bell, has ties to the area, so this has to be somewhat special for him and his family. You see, I saw it in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Bell is from Poughkeepsie. He also spent time at Dutchess Community College at the same time I was there. We were both in the Communications program (although I don't think we ever met), and it is always great to see a local boy (or girl) make good.

Chris Bell has crafted an informative film that has something else in common with Moore's films. This is not a criticism; I just get the impression that certain things were left out. It is not that he is "lying" — it's just that in order to support his thinking and his point of view some things may be left out or glossed over. So, it should go without saying that if you're interested in the subject you should choose to investigate it in a more thorough manner; do not accept anything blindly.

The most interesting aspect of Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is the way it seems like Chris Bell is doing some soul-searching, using the film as a way to explore his feelings on the matter. It is a matter that has taken on some very personal meaning to him and he needs a way to attempt to sort his feelings.

Okay, let's back up a little bit. The film tells us, via first person narration, that Bell was a pale, pudgy kid from Poughkeepsie who idolized the likes of Hulk Hogan, Sly Stallone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has one older and one younger brother, and the three of them got into bodybuilding, with Chris fast becoming one of the strongest men in New York State. These three young men learned early on that the drive to compete was very strong and the only way that they would be able to compete with the big boys was to dive into the world of steroids. Both of Bell's brothers turned to this method of enhancement.