**A Gentleman and a Scholar.** Nothing more needs to be said of this Legend among Legends.

An intimate look at one athlete who could be considered truly larger than life, the aptly-named pro wrestling legend Andre the Giant. Not content to simply lean on accrued television footage or the countless tall tales about his epic nights out on the town, this HBO documentary intends to dig deeper, for a closer look at the man behind the myths and exagerrations. As a means of drawing back the curtain, we catch glimpses of Andre's upbringing, from the double-wide handmade chair that still sits at his childhood kitchen table to countless candid photos and clips from the dawn of his career in the ring. It's not a particularly happy story, laced as it is with the everyday difficulties of a jumbo-sized man in a normal-sized world, disconnected familial relationships and chronic pain as his frame struggled to deal with its own mass, but it does feel honest and (mostly) true. The one notable exception being Andre's big main event with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, which seems overly romanticized if not slightly misleading. A better chance to get to know who the giant was away from cameras, to understand his suffering and recognize that, although his size did reap untold fame and fortune, it also made enjoying those fruits excruciatingly difficult or downright impossible. I feel like we barely skimmed the surface.

I loved Pro Wrestling when I was a kid and I will love it till the day that I die

"The stories about Andre's drinking are almost another level of mythology from the man himself. Andre was certainly, I mean, one of if not the greatest drinker that ever lived." To be honest, the only match I have ever seen from Andre the Giant is his Wrestlemania III bout against Hulk Hogan and it wasn't anything special but it was a spectacle. I didn't know he could barely move at the time but I think it is still a miracle that he lived as long as he did. Especially with all the traveling and the physical toll that wrestling must have put on his body. I knew about his 103 beers in one day story but I never realized he drank to probably numb the pain he had been in. I somehow also never knew he was French. I need to get my wrestling knowledge in order. Anyway, even if you are not into wrestling I think that Andre the Giant is worth checking out. You get a rundown of his life and hear a lot of his colleagues and old friends talk about him. We even get a segment about the Princess Bride with Rob Reiner, Cary Elwes and Robin Wright. Everyone is just so positive about the man. We even get a bit from Arnold Schwarzenegger. We also get Hulk Hogan talking about him a lot but that is what I expected with the Wrestlemania III match but I wish I got more from Tim White. I enjoyed his stories the most. Andre the Giant was a interesting watch and I wish we would get more of these kind of quality documentaries about Wrestling and its superstars in general. I'd be down to watch those.

You don't necessarily _have_ to be a fan of professional wrestling to enjoy this documentary, but it adds so much depth and feeling to the narrative if you _were_ a fan during the time of Andre the Giant. I remember seeing his matches, including when he "turned heel" under Bobby Heenan. And yes, they were quite accurate when they mentioned (in the documentary) that Andre's career sort of died after that. They had a story, of course, where he was publicly berated and humiliated by Bobby Heenan and Andre "turned face" (babyface, the wrestling terminology for a "good guy") by slapping Heenan around much to the delight of the cheering crowd...but due to his failing health and the pain his body was wracked with, Andre was never able to fully capture that mythological status and adoring fan base that he'd once had. This documentary so beautifully tells Andre's story...and it deserves to be told. The interviews, the stories, the tears...they're all here, so if you're a softie just beware: this will definitely tug at your heartstrings and leave you moist-eyed. I know he's gone, but I so wish Andre could've lived to see this and know just how revered and loved he truly was. RIP, Andre. It doesn't matter how many they try to drag up: you'll always be "The Giant" in our eyes.