Andre the Giant (2018)

A look at the life and career of professional wrestler André Roussimoff, who gained notoriety in the 1980s as Andre the Giant.

Director:

Jason Hehir

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Wright, Cary Elwes

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Himself
Robin Wright	...	Herself
Cary Elwes	...	Himself
Billy Crystal	...	Himself
Rob Reiner	...	Himself
Jesse Ventura	...	Himself (archive footage)
André the Giant	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hulk Hogan	...	Himself
Roddy Piper	...	Himself (archive footage)
Cyndi Lauper	...	Herself (archive footage)
Andy Warhol	...	Himself (archive footage)
David Letterman	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bob Uecker	...	Himself (archive footage)
Randy Savage	...	Macho Man Randy Savage (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

A look at the life and career of professional wrestler André Roussimoff, who gained notoriety in the 1980s as Andre the Giant.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

10 April 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Андрэ Гигант

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bill Simmons Media Group,Home Box Office (HBO),World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vince McMahon announced this documentary in 2016.

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Quotes

Cary Elwes: That's the first question they ask me, wasn't it fun to go drinking with Andre. Cause they think of him as this legendary drinker and they think it's funny, but in fact he drank because he was in pain. And I asked him one day and he explained to me that his spine and his neck and his knees gave him lots of trouble.

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Connections

Features WrestleMania III (1987)

User Reviews

The Man, The Wrestler, The Myth

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.