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Family flexing

THE BODYBUILDER AND I (Bryan Friedman, Canada). 90 minutes. Friday (April 20), 9:30 pm, Royal Sunday (April 22), 1:30 pm, Bloor. Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN


Filmmaker Bryan Friedman‘s got a massive chip on his shoulder about his dad, who left home when Bryan was an infant and now, in his late 50s, has left a big law firm to become an amateur bodybuilder. In a journey that would make Freud smile, the younger Friedman follows his bulked-up dad around and, before a big competition, travels across North America to interview his dad’s competition.

The unearthed fucked-up family history isn’t as shocking as that other doc about a Friedman brood. But it’s still disturbing, and the younger Friedman’s raw honesty and openness (he confesses he’s got his own commitment problems) feel as genuine as the father’s later moving disclosures.

One question. Why are so many of the mid-life crisis bodybuilders Jewish?

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