“ARNOLD” ON NETFLIX DELVES INTO THE STAR’S HIGHS AND LOWS

There is one name that is most synonymous with action movies: Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is usually the first person most people think of when the 80s and explosions on the silver screen are brought up. While Sylvester Stallone and others are definitely icons of action movies in their own right he was the absolute epitome of the genre. In the 1980s and 1990s if there was a blockbuster movie in theaters his name was usually somewhere above it. His list of hits is lengthy from Terminator and Predator to True Lies and Eraser. He even did comedies and flourished there with Kindergarten Cop, Twins, and Jingle All the Way. Other than a couple dips in his career he has sat on the throne even after he left to become the Governor of California. You would think that this was a guy that never had a bad moment in his life and everything just came naturally and easy for him. That’s not right nor is thinking that all this fame and success would make him a boisterous and rude celebrity that conjures up nothing but bad stories from anyone that has met him. For someone who has lived much of his life in the public eye you would also think he would be a bit cynical of the world, but you would be wrong there too.

Netflix has gone in on the action star in a big way the last few months with making the TV show Fubar and making Arnold their “Chief Action Officer” in a series of commercials. Maybe the most important show they have with him is a reflection of his life simply called Arnold. Arnold is 3 episode long at about an hour each so you can easily binge it in an afternoon. The episodes are separated by the chapters in his life from his humble beginnings in weightlifting competitions to his command of Hollywood to his career in politics. The man himself narrates the show and there are interviews with his family and friends and even his competitors.

Arnold truly paints the picture of this man that many underestimated throughout his life and how he overcame that doubt. The stories of how he persevered in all aspects and challenges are all put on display here. We all know the success story. It’s in front of us all the time. The dark times and the struggles haven’t always been as much in the forefront. That is what I really like about this documentary is that it, at times feels like a film he put together as a simple ego boost. It would be just that if not for the stories that aren’t successes and the failures with his family that a really opens up about. No one has the “perfect life” and Schwarzenegger is no different. He has had his share of embarrassing and painful moments in life that he could have avoided. He knows it and that is where I find this film so interesting. Nothing is held back. He also knows how he got where he is and that everything he does has been “Bulls–t” to some extent. One of the most powerful moments is him talking about his divorce from Maria Shriver. You can see and hear the emotion in his voice and the remorse flows from the screen. Whether you’re a fan of Arnold or not this documentary gives the whole story and that is what makes it so good – nothing is held back.