Andre the Giant Plot Summary:
Bill Simmons, WWE, and HBO present a documentary about André Roussimoff, better known as professional wrestler, Andre the Giant. The film documents the wrestler’s larger than life personality, his triumphs in the wrestling world, and his personal struggles — both with his medical condition, and his public persona.
The film is told through vintage interviews and wrestling clips and interviews with his family, his cast members from The Princess Bride (Cary Elwes, Billy Crystal, Robin Wright and director Rob Reiner) as well as wrestling luminaries Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon, Dave Meltzer, Pat Paterson, Ric Flair, and his longtime friend and handler, Tim White.
Sometimes a great film doesn’t have to have an original story. Whether it’s a documentary, piece of historical fiction, a remake, or a film adapted from another medium — a great movie has to connect with an audience.
If you’re a professional wrestling fan you already know the legend, and the reality of Andre the Giant. The man, born Andre Roussimouf, was a Frenchman who suffered from gigantism. His condition lead to become one of the biggest box office draws, in professional wrestling history and it ultimately lead to a lifetime of physical pain, and emotional frustration.
You know about this because you saw the A&E Biography special André the Giant: Larger Than Life, or you’ve read about him in countless books, magazines, or seen his story on various WWE produced programs.
Yet, despite knowing his story, HBO’s film, Andre the Giant, is a great film.
What this film does so well is connect to the audience on an emotional level. The interviews from Vince McMahon, and Hulk Hogan, from Andre’s daughter, from friends and family, from his Princess Bride cast members paint a whole new picture of the man. It’s a picture of a giant who was a complex individual — reaching the heights of success, and at the same time, the bottom of the emotional barrel due to his size.
The documentary is as honest as it is reverential. It’s fun and informative as it is sobering, and sad. This documentary, not unlike the Ric Flair 30 for 30, crafts a whole new perspective on a legendary story. The interviews, the rare archived footage, and the overall sentiment of this documentary make it stand out heads shoulders above the majority of wrestling docs (an accomplishment given how good this subgenre is).
Andre the Giant is a must-watch documentary that fill your heart with nostalgia, and your eyes with a couple tears.
Rating: 9 out of 10
