I very much enjoyed Driven: The Tony Pearson Story, a documentary that is the labor of love of its director Andrew Menjivar. It details the life and career of legendary bodybuilder Tony Pearson, a product of several seminal training gyms up to and including Venice’s Muscle Beach and Gold’s Gym, where, ahem, I am a new member~! Driven documents the unimaginable abuse Pearson and his sister suffered as children, both managing to survive, and he to overcome this handicap of his birth to go on to achieve an incredible career in bodybuilding. The film follows the charismatic and surprisingly gentle Pearson, 63, as he returns to the stage in Las Vegas for one last competition. The self-discipline is astonishing and the crazy nature of his pursuit is much counterbalanced by his modest and charming personality. This man went through some real ups and downs.
Driven: The Tony Pearson Story | Streaming on Apple, Amazon, Google Play and VUDU