Bigger, the biopic of Joe Weider, had it’s premiere during the 2018 Olympia Weekend, and it will open nationwide on October 12th. Here’s why you can’t miss seeing this cinematic tribute to the one and only Father of Bodybuilding.
10 Reasons You Have to See ‘Bigger’
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Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty
Tyler Hoechlin’s Portrayal of Joe
The Teen Wolf star broke out a couple of years ago with a memorable role in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some, which hinted at Hoechlin’s range and screen presence. In Bigger, the 30-year-old actor brings emotional depth to the iconic publisher while maintaining the laser-focus intensity of Weider’s vision.
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Per Bernal
Joe’s Triumph Over Discrimination
The film doesn’t shy away from the anti-Semitism and class discrimination that Weider faced in his early years. Joe overcame the hatred and never let it embitter him. It’s a part of Joe’s story that’s rarely told.(Photo above: Steve Cook portrays a beach model in the film)
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Darren Gerrish / BFC / Getty
Ben Gets His Due
Ben Weider’s contributions to bodybuilding and to Joe’s success are sometimes underappreciated. The film brings to light the commitment Ben (portrayed by the above actor, Aneurin Barnard) maintained to spreading his brother’s vision via his globe-trotting diplomacy on behalf of the IFBB. Without Ben, Joe may never have achieved what he did.
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Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
The Actor Nails Joe’s Dialect
Anybody who knew Joe remembers his idiosyncratic speech inflection, a kind of purring growl that was as endearing as it was iconic. Both Robert Forster as the older Joe and Hoechlin veered from shallow impersonation and made Joe’s drawl their own.
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Richard Stonehouse / Getty
Calum Von Moger as Arnold
The Australian actor’s natural likeness to Schwarzenegger was bolstered by his spot-on accent and mischievous smirk as he reenacted some of Arnold’s most famous moments of competitive gamesmanship.
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Per Bernal
The Grace and Class of Julianne Hough
The ethereal beauty of Betty Weider (née Brosmer) dominated newsstands in the 1950s. But it’s one thing to emerge from hair and makeup resembling the iconic model; it’s a far greater accomplishment to fill the screen with Betty’s elegant style and emotional intelligence. Hough does both.
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Hulton Archive / Stringer
Sergio vs. Arnold!
Re-creating the epic stage battles between the Cuban and Austrian superstars could have been an entire movie in itself. And having Sergio Oliva Jr. play his father made the scenes that much more authentic.
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Per Bernal
The Vision Thing
The movie spotlights Weider’s obsessive commitment to his core belief system: that weight training would become commonplace and proven to be healthy. When Joe made his predictions in the 1940s and ’50s, bodybuilding was nearly considered a mental illness, and weight training was believed to be dangerous to one’s health. Joe knew better, then proved it to the world.
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Paul Redmond / Getty
Tom Arnold’s Comic Flair
Arnold crashes the screen with nervous energy and chews up a little scenery as the big-time distributor who gives Joe one of his early big breaks in publishing.
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Per Bernal
The Spot-On Period Sets
The film was enhanced by the street scenes and wardrobe of 1930s Montreal and mid-century America, along with Golden Era beach scenes. No detail was overlooked.
The Teen Wolf star broke out a couple of years ago with a memorable role in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some, which hinted at Hoechlin’s range and screen presence. In Bigger, the 30-year-old actor brings emotional depth to the iconic publisher while maintaining the laser-focus intensity of Weider’s vision.
Joe’s Triumph Over Discrimination
The film doesn’t shy away from the anti-Semitism and class discrimination that Weider faced in his early years. Joe overcame the hatred and never let it embitter him. It’s a part of Joe’s story that’s rarely told.
(Photo above: Steve Cook portrays a beach model in the film)
Ben Gets His Due
Ben Weider’s contributions to bodybuilding and to Joe’s success are sometimes underappreciated. The film brings to light the commitment Ben (portrayed by the above actor, Aneurin Barnard) maintained to spreading his brother’s vision via his globe-trotting diplomacy on behalf of the IFBB. Without Ben, Joe may never have achieved what he did.
The Actor Nails Joe’s Dialect
Anybody who knew Joe remembers his idiosyncratic speech inflection, a kind of purring growl that was as endearing as it was iconic. Both Robert Forster as the older Joe and Hoechlin veered from shallow impersonation and made Joe’s drawl their own.
Calum Von Moger as Arnold
The Australian actor’s natural likeness to Schwarzenegger was bolstered by his spot-on accent and mischievous smirk as he reenacted some of Arnold’s most famous moments of competitive gamesmanship.
The Grace and Class of Julianne Hough
The ethereal beauty of Betty Weider (née Brosmer) dominated newsstands in the 1950s. But it’s one thing to emerge from hair and makeup resembling the iconic model; it’s a far greater accomplishment to fill the screen with Betty’s elegant style and emotional intelligence. Hough does both.
Sergio vs. Arnold!
Re-creating the epic stage battles between the Cuban and Austrian superstars could have been an entire movie in itself. And having Sergio Oliva Jr. play his father made the scenes that much more authentic.
The Vision Thing
The movie spotlights Weider’s obsessive commitment to his core belief system: that weight training would become commonplace and proven to be healthy. When Joe made his predictions in the 1940s and ’50s, bodybuilding was nearly considered a mental illness, and weight training was believed to be dangerous to one’s health. Joe knew better, then proved it to the world.
Tom Arnold’s Comic Flair
Arnold crashes the screen with nervous energy and chews up a little scenery as the big-time distributor who gives Joe one of his early big breaks in publishing.
The Spot-On Period Sets
The film was enhanced by the street scenes and wardrobe of 1930s Montreal and mid-century America, along with Golden Era beach scenes. No detail was overlooked.
