There needs to be a good movie about anabolic steroids, but this movie misses the mark. The lead character is so greasy and slimy that his beautiful girlfriend would never fall for him. And Daniel Baldwin playing the boss is so over the top that his character was like an SNL skit.
The movie makes some potent points and could have been a solid independent film but somehow it kind of appears like an amateur production. The roid bodybuilder was the best part, as he was believable and intense. The ending was baffling to me
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cockezville5 January 2020
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jtesta19825 November 2020As someone who bodybuilds himself for years, I got lured into watching this film. It could have been done much better. The premier was there, it just wasn't made properly. Nonetheless. A decent watch if you are into the world of bodybuilding
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warrenhindle6 April 2018The basic concept of this film could be an interesting one if treated in the correct manner. Unfortunately, the title and blurb give the entire plot away - young dweeb turns to steroids to make up for his insecurities & inadequacies but falls victim to addiction and the fabled 'roid rage'. There really is nothing more to the plot than that...
The dialogue is laughable (especially that of the lead character's father in the final scenes), and the only cast members who come out of this with any dignity are Thai Edwards and Cameron Barsanti.
The guy playing the lead role looks like Brian Peppers and is portrayed as a total loser at the start of the film - there is zero credibility to his relationship with his girlfriend.
It seems odd that 'Kali Muscle' appears so high on the cast billing - his contribution lasts no longer than 10 seconds and includes no dialogue.
Ignore the fake reviews - this is a total dud. -
dipietrochris15 September 2018Could of been a good movie if the entire idea wouldn't of been falsified because of the lack of knowledge. Good plot, bad characters, and unrealistic.
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I only watched this until the end because of mild curiosity. But there were sooooooo many lame things about this movie. I certainly could never sit through it again. Sorry Chris Levine but wow, not only can you NOT write believable characters OR dialogue for a movie or, you're a terrible actor too. The character of Adam was beyond pathetic and annoying. There's NO way a person like that would wind up with a perky and sexy girlfriend like Sara. Oh but I could see him working in a call center with an abusive boss, that was the only realistic touch. And what kind of father keeps calling his son, "hey man" ? Weird. The mother was an ineffective basket case. Jason was a brutal and abusive steroid dealer with a foul mouth. Nothing human or redeemable about that character. The first half of this movie actually seems like an advertisement FOR steroid use...until things start to predictably unravel. And the ending of the movie ? Oh my God, Chris apparently had NO idea how to end this mess of a movie effectively. The ending scenes were like a train going off a cliff. Like the rest of the movie, lame lame lame ending. There is nothing to be learned from this movie nor to be entertained thereby, unless you were curious if Adam would ever fix his straggly, greasy hair and look attractive for even one minute, after all that body obsessing. He doesn't, of course. Entire movie is a waste of time.
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misterphilipj7 May 2018I was expecting garbage, since I was mostly studio movies and only do independent if they've gained a name. However, this one I was pleasantly surprised. Although the main actor's face is a bit hard to look at for 2 hours, he did a good job, and the movie came together with a good supporting cast. It told the story well, and I felt the emotion and trauma that people were going through. It was a little predictable, only downfall. Despite someone else's comments the dialogue is all necessary to the plot development and I thought lines were delivered well.
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jamiekevindee1 April 2018I watch loads of films! every day, so id like to think of myself as rather well traveled when it comes to movies in general, this movie, was fantastic, Chris Levines acting was superb, and the movie did exactly what it set out to do, at the end i felt sad and rather emotional, it put my in the main characters shoes, and really does make you think about body image and self image etc...
would highly recommend watching it!! can honestly say this for me, is one of the best movies i have seen this year so far! well done to the writers, actors, producers and whole crew you have made a good film. :) -
MsLSimon30 August 2019This was a really well done indie film about a topic that is not discussed much. Well shot, good acting all around. Kept me entertained and moved me. We talk a lot about women's issues with body image, but men have them as well. It's a problem that is pervasive in our society, so I applaud the filmmakers for taking it on.
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rdfranciscritic20 January 2023In a typical, low-budget indie fashion, up-and-coming filmmakers -- so as to keep things under their tight budgets -- write what they know and around what universe (sets, locations) is available to them. To that end: Chris Levine does a wonderful job on his feature debut screenplay: he knows this world, or at least did his research on the subject before stroking a key.
Director Landon Williams, in his feature debut, also creates several wonderful shots (the "oner" that approaches a house, pans around it, then up and down through a skylight into a bathroom is worth noting). Under Williams' leadership, there are no flaws in the cinematography and editing departments. The casting is solid. While the familiar faces we see (Baldwin, Sharon Lawrence) deliver the goods in their support roles, the real standout here is the co-starring Thai Edwards as Jason, the body building-drug pusher.
As I read the user reviews of others: a point was made that "a girl that hot would never go out with dweeb" like the lead character. Another point made was Daniel Baldwin's character was "too over the top to be believed" -- obviously, those reviewers never worked in sales, boiler rooms, or any cubicle farm environs; personally, I've experienced WORSE than Baldwin's Mr. Lewis; he nails the psychology of those horrible bosses.
In those cases, with the girlfriend and boss: I believe those reviewers missed the point: this isn't an objective movie, but a subjective one. Adam Stenton (an equally fine Chris Levine) isn't a "dweeb" in a physical sense: it's all in his mind. So, when we see him sulking down the cubicle farm to his job, in wrinkled clothes and greasy hair: that's not the real, physical Adam: it's the "Adam" he thinks he is. The mirrored images we get in the film are not physical reflections, but his mental ones.
In fact, as the film unfolds, the narrative shifts into Adam's "dream-hallucination state," if you will. So, to that end: If I had to use two films to pitch Anabolic Life: I see a less-kinetic pinch of Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream meets the Christian Bale-fronted The Machinist in the frames. But this is an self-financed indie, so, as with any indie: judge it on its own merits and not against any major studio films. -
lexenluis3 February 2021The best Movie I have ever seen on steroids drugs. I highly recommended to watch this move about anabolic
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JoeHud10 November 2020It must have taken place in some alternate dimension for that girl to date the loser character that was so prominently on display. When I saw the photo of her on his desk, I assumed Daniel Baldwin would rip on him for leaving the model photo in the frame. The movie never addressed this glaring mismatch, causing several reviews that touch on the topic.
The film would have played out a whole lot better if he didn't have a girlfriend at all. Also, roid rage is a myth, do some research before making a full length feature.
As for the ending, I didn't understand it. Was he big the whole time? Did he actually get big but had dysmorphia so he wanted to get even bigger? There seemed to be some sort of revelation by the main character but I couldn't figure out what it was.