The Eighth Wonder Of The World

Andre The Giant
2018| Color | 1 Hr 25 Min | Documentary | TV-14 | HBO

Director: Jason Hehir

Stars:

Robin Wright

Arnold Schwarzenegger

André the Giant

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

André René Roussimoff was born in 1946 in Molien, France. In his early teens, he exhibited signs of gigantism though he was not diagnosed with acromegaly until his twenties. He began his training in Paris at 17 and eventually became known in wrestling circuits around the world. One of the first things I found interesting about this documentary was all the independent circuits there were around the world and the United States. It was cool to see how it all panned out and how Jim McMahon pulled them all together to form the WWE. I always knew that Andre and Hogan were a big reason for the success that kicked it off but never knew how it came to.

I have never been a huge wrestling fan but growing up in the 80's it was hard to miss. My best friend was a huge fan so I remember spending many hours watching with him. It was also a big thing at MDA summer camp so I had to keep up with the storylines just to understand what everybody was talking about. Of course, Andrea was one of my favorite wrestlers. 

The doc paints a nice picture of his early life and how hard it was for him to travel. What most surprised me was how he just could not melt away meaning he could not hind like you and I he was going to be noticed no matter where he went. He had no peace and quiet. This also made for a lonely lifestyle.

This all wraps up with Wrestlemania 3 Hogan VS The Giant for the belt. This match will truly set the world on fire and really launch the WWE. What I did not know his how poor the health was for Andre. Also never realized how much this wrecked him emotionally.  

As fun as the doc was it did make you appreciate the man a world fell in love with and is love for us. He may have been a giant but he was so loveable. Even if you did not or do not watch Wrestling this is still a nice little look on somebody's life even if it leaves you in tears.  

3 Size 22's out of 5