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	...	Self
Robin Wright	...	Self
Cary Elwes	...	Self
Rob Reiner	...	Self
Billy Crystal	...	Self
André the Giant	...	Andre the Giant (archive footage)
Cyndi Lauper	...	Self (archive footage)
Roddy Piper	...	Rowdy Roddy Piper (archive footage)
Hulk Hogan	...	Self
Jesse Ventura	...	Jesse Ventura (archive footage)
Randy Savage	...	Macho Man Randy Savage (archive footage)
Bob Uecker	...	Self (archive footage)
David Letterman	...	Self (archive footage)
Andy Warhol	...	Self (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali	...	Self (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.

---

Taglines:

Even bigger than you imagined.

---

Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vince McMahon announced this documentary in 2016.

---

Quotes

André the Giant: It's difficult everywhere I go. They don't build things for big people. They build everything for blind people, for crippled people, for some other people but not for big people. So we have to fit in there and it's not too easy all the time.

---

Connections

Features The Princess Bride (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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Japanese

Release Date:

10 April 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Andre the Giant

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min