Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Prismark10 Andre the Giant is a documentary co-produced by WWE. So a chunk of the documentary is spent on how Vince McMahon sr & jr built up their wrestling empire from the north eastern territory to a national wrestling organisation, gobbling up smaller rivals and joining up with the emerging cable television stations. Andre Roussimoff takes a back seat in his own film.Andre was a normal child in a French village, he played football and rugby. It was only at the age of 15 he started to grow and grow. Later in his life it was discovered that he suffered from a disorder called acromegaly, which caused his gigantism. I know these were the days without the internet and Google. It does make you wonder that all those medics in wrestling and no one figured why this 7 foot plus person was still growing?However you get to hear more of Andre Roussimoff, from fellow wrestlers, his friends and more importantly his family that includes his daughter who he did not see often. Andre was a gentle man who could never run away from his size. A legendary drinker, actor Cary Elwes mentions it was to dull the pain in his joints. By the end of his career, he was in immense pain caused by his size.Andre the Giant is a look at a figure who bridged the gap when US wrestling moved to a new era but it feels superficial when you have scenes of Hulk Hogan in Rocky III.

ironhorse_iv Executively produced by Janine Marmot and Bill Simmons, the HBO documentary film about the life of one of pro wrestling's most legendary and mythical figure, Andre the Giant, was a huge success. For the most part, the story move from Andre's childhood, as Andre Roussimoff in rural France to his superstardom as Andre the Giant in the United States, to his eventual downfall, with ease. However, there were parts of the documentary directed by Jason Hehir that seem to drift off, a bit. It venture too much time, into establishing how promoter, Vince McMahon and his megastar, Hulk Hogan change the pro-wrestling business in the 1980s to the national level, for a little too long. It really did, hurt the pacing for the film. In short, the filmmakers should had shown, more on how Andre the Giant help usher that era, a little bit better. They really did, skip, a lot of very important events and dates in Andre's career, such as his role in promoting wrestling in one of its first major PPV super-show, by fighting professional boxer Chuck Wepner in an unscripted boxer-versus-wrestler fight in 1976 in Japan. Another is his role in 1985's 'WrestleMania' & his only World Championship win in 1988. You would think, those moments would be mention. Sadly, those examples and others, not mention was not in here. The movie also ventures too much in the familiar & well verse route of story beats, bringing nothing really new the table. Anybody that watch, any of the previous Andre the Giant's documentaries, such as 1999's "Andre: Larger than Life', might not find anything in this HBO special to be really that stand out worthy. However, that isn't the biggest problem of this film. Another problem with this documentary is that, not everything is as accurate as it should had been. The documentary is so whimsical, so ridiculous and so out-there subtly, it's really hard to tell, the different between fact & fiction. Everything is so blur. Don't get me wrong, that isn't always a bad thing. I didn't mind the film telling exaggerating tall-tales stories of Andre the Giant's larger than life, lifestyle, such as it relates to his drinking, his strength, & how tall, he really was. After all, it's pro-wrestling. There is hardly anything real about that. Although, I kinda wish the documentary wasn't walking a tightrope in terms of the standards of journalistic integrity. Certain claims such as Andre's disdain for certain wrestlers should be, presented with some accuracy. After all, it's pretty hard for the dead to defend themselves. I really have to doubt, that Andre really hated Big John Studd and Randy Savage in real-life. If he did, there is little research to back, that statement up, by the filmmakers. So, any claim like that, should be, taken with a grain of salt. Despite that, I did like the talking heads sequences with his family, friends, fellow wrestlers, historians, and celebs, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ric Flair, Robin Wright, Tim White, Billy Crystal and others. Vince McMahon's emotional breakdown on Andre's time in the WWF, was also a highlight. It's rare to see tears, come out from Vinnie Mac's face. He really did humanize the performer. I also dig the discussion about 1987's 'WrestleMania III' main event was choreographed, in order, to hide Andre's body limitations. However, I have to doubt, Hogan's claim that Andre the Giant refused to decide how to finish the match ahead of time & he was having doubt that Andre was going to put him over. Industry journalists such as Dave Meltzer and David Shoemaker says otherwise, outside the documentary, which they are feature, citing the fact that Andre had lose before, outside of WWE's historic canon & the fact that Andre the Giant was professional about doing the job. Regardless, the idea that they didn't have a finish to the match did built some suspense that was somewhat worthy to watch on the documentary even if it's hardly true; much like Andre retiring to his farm after leaving WWF, when in truth, Andre popped up on WCW's Clash of the Champions XX broadcast as a part of a celebration in honor of 20 years of professional wrestling on TBS. Nevertheless, what happen in his last days on Earth; in the end, Andre the Giant left a giant legacy, worth remembering. Overall: While, it's hard for any documentary to distill a man's life in 90 minutes. I think, this HBO special did a great job with the giant task on doing so. Because of that, this is a must watch for any pro-wresting fan. It's worth visiting.

zkonedog 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.

Clifton Johnson 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.