Bigger (2018)

Bigger has the rare, crowd-pleasing energy of a classic American success story, but with a heart that beats for outsiders—two Jewish brothers who turn grit, imagination, and sheer stubbornness into a movement that reshapes how the world thinks about strength. George Gallo keeps the film moving like a motivational mixtape: part period drama, part underdog saga, with a bright, can-do vibe that makes the setbacks sting and the victories land. Tyler Hoechlin and Aneurin Barnard give Joe and Ben Weider an appealing mix of ambition and vulnerability, and the movie’s love letter to fitness culture—complete with a young Jack LaLanne and the spark of discovering a future icon—feels genuinely infectious. It’s not a razor-sharp, cynical biopic, and if you want deep investigative realism you may find it a bit glossy, but if you’re on the fence and craving something earnest, inspirational, and easy to root for, this one goes down like a clean rep: tough, satisfying, and oddly uplifting.

Bigger wants to be an uplifting, old-school biopic about Joe and Ben Weider overcoming prejudice and poverty to help shape modern fitness, and you can feel the admiration for its subjects in every scene. The problem is it often plays like a highlight reel: events are checked off quickly, emotions are telegraphed, and the characters don’t get the depth needed to make the triumphs land. If you’re hoping for a nuanced, messy look at ambition, business, and the bodybuilding world, this may feel too glossy and sentimental to satisfy. Still, the cast is likable and the movie’s earnestness might work for you if you just want a straightforward “against all odds” story without much edge or complexity.