Sly rotten tomatoes

Anyone who is a wrestling fan knows exactly who Andre the Giant is. The documentary starts as one would expect.

Andre the giant hbo max

Pictures of Andre through the years scroll by before the documentary begins in a small village outside of Paris. The never before seen pictures and stories from his family focus on what his life was like long before his stardom. It also makes you question how his life may have been different if medical research had been more advanced. Throughout the film, various wrestlers, friends, and wrestling historians are brought on to tell personal stories about Andre and the kind of person he was.

The stories of his drinking are legendary, and each of them are touched on here. His sense of humor and ability to prank those around him reiterate the good-natured person that he was. Legends of his prowess when it comes to drinking are entertaining. They also highlight how much pain Andre was in most of his later years. Leaving out how the alcohol and the wear and tear on his body from years of travel is a glaring omission.

Before Vince McMahon decided to create a national wrestling promotion, wrestling was made up of territories. The wrestlers would spend time within a territory and eventually move on before the audiences grew tired of their act. It is brought up that this helped Andre become known nationally quickly as rumors of this large athlete coming to town helped draw in the crowds.

As the stories of Andre traveling from town to town were touched on, the documentary takes a detour to focus on Vince McMahon building the WWE.