André the Giant (film)

André the Giant is a 2018 TV documentary film based on the life of French professional wrestler and actor André René Roussimoff, best known as André the Giant.[3] The documentary covers André's life with gigantism.[4] The film features professional wrestlers and media personalities such as Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Pat Patterson, Tim White, Ric Flair, Dave Meltzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Crystal as well as family members discussing André's life.[1]

André the Giant
Film poster
Written bySimon Pummell
Directed byJason Hehir
Music byThomas Caffey
Country of originUnited States
Production
ProducersBill Simmons
Matt Maxson
Jacob Rogal
Rick Bernstein
EditorDaniel Goddard
Running time85 minutes[1]
Production companies
[2]
Original release
NetworkHBO
Release10 April 2018 (2018-04-10)

André the Giant was released on HBO on 10 April 2018.[5] The film was executively produced by Janine Marmot and Bill Simmons, who had been interested in creating a documentary on André previously.[6] The documentary was slated as focusing on his "upbringing in France, his celebrated career in WWE and his forays in the entertainment world".[7][8]

Reception

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The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 96%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's consensus reads, "Well-crafted and entertaining, Andre the Giant is a compelling celebration of a wrestling legend."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]

In July 2018, HBO claimed the André the Giant film was the most watched sports documentary in its history.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Andre the Giant documentary". HBO. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  2. ^ "HBO's 'Andre the Giant' Director Jason Hehir on Finding the Man Behind the Myth". TV Insider. March 27, 2018. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Rigdon, Jay (January 26, 2018). "HBO releases trailer, announces release date for long-awaited Andre The Giant documentary "He was famous on a different level. Literally the biggest celebrity in the world."". awfulannoucning.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  4. ^ "From the WWE Rumor Mill: Andre the Giant's documentary could end up on the WWE Network". Sportskeeda.com. March 2, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Nordine, Michael (January 27, 2018). "'André the Giant' Trailer: The Larger-Than-Life Legend Was Gentle, but He Was Also in Pain — Watch". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  6. ^ Terror, June (January 27, 2018). "Watch the Full Trailer for HBO's Andre the Giant Documentary". Bleedingcool.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  7. ^ Diamond, Jason (February 13, 2018). "HBO, WWE Producing Andre the Giant Documentary". Rolling Stone.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "The first trailer for Bill Simmons' 'Andre the Giant' documentary is here and it shows the dark side of being one of the world's most famous athletes". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "Andre the Giant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.  
  10. ^ "Andre the Giant Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "411MANIA". The Andre the Giant Documentary Was Most Watched Sports Documentary in HBO History.
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