The Strongest Man

Released Jun 26, 2015

1h 40m

Comedy

List

30%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

50%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A brawny, anxiety-ridden man (Robert Lorie) embarks on a quest to recover his most prized possession, a golden BMX bicycle.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Writer-director Kenny Riches lays on the whimsy pretty thick, and his sub-Jarmusch deadpan style (inert camera, intentionally flat line readings) adds another layer of affect to the story.

Jul 2, 2015

Full Review

Martin Tsai

Los Angeles Times

Although Beef and Conan are far from stereotypical, the quirkiness and eccentricities ascribed to them by writer-director Kenny Riches harp on their otherness all the same.

Jun 25, 2015

Full Review

Boyd van Hoeij

Hollywood Reporter

The kind of indie doodle of a movie in which several potentially interesting ideas co-exist but never quite come together and where supporters will call the narrative "freewheeling" while naysayers will insist on "rambling."

Feb 5, 2015

Full Review

Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

A subdued comedy with some truly inventive gags, The Strongest Man is the culmination of an original voice on the rise more than the triumph of a writer-director already on top.

Aug 2, 2023

Full Review

Josh Terry

Deseret News (Salt Lake City)

It's definitely an acquired taste, but it's most helpful to view the film as a fairy tale.

Aug 5, 2015

Full Review

Matt Pais

RedEye

Like the waves of the ocean its characters occasionally and semi-fearfully embrace, The Strongest Man continually goes in and out, connecting and drifting away.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 2, 2015

Full Review

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Audience Member

22%? you have no clue

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very slow. Didn't finish it.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great film to watch with a friend, the story provides alot of content for you to nit pick .

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I had read an interesting interview with cinematographer, Tom Garner, that sparked my interest in the film. THE STRONGEST MAN is generating dismissive reviews from the critics, but I enjoyed the movie. This is a surreal character study of two marginalized men who have allowed their respective "hopes and dreams" to be so lowered so far they've begun to sleepwalk through their lives. This is not another lame comedy about men who refuse to grow up. This is a movie about two fully grown men who have opted to pull away from a culture that doesn't seem to care. Director/Writer, Kenny Riches utilizes surrealism to enter their psyches. Beef and Conan expect little in life. Dreams and hopes have been illogically reasoned in ways that make them unattainable. In Riches' surrealist take, their fears and paranoias have taken a seemingly mutually shared vision of demons hiding in the dark corners of their homes and city streets. Beef and Conan have developed skewed logic to avoid facing any further disappointments. When "Beef's" bike is stolen and "Conan" loses his dog it sets them on an off-beat path toward something that may offer more potential. The entire film's tone and deadpan absurdist humor have been carefully crafted. The cinematography is particularly effective. The only major flaw I found here is that the movie runs about 15 minutes too long. But it is important to note that I enjoyed the entirety of movie. This is a creative and entertaining directorial debut which offers more than cheap laughs. It should not be dismissed.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Kenny Riches

Director

Robert Lorie

Beef

Paul Chamberlain

Conan

Ashly Burch

Illi

Patrick Fugit

Guru Fred

Lisa Banes

Mrs. Rosen

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Synopsis

A brawny, anxiety-ridden man (Robert Lorie) embarks on a quest to recover his most prized possession, a golden BMX bicycle.

Director: Kenny Riches
Producer: Paul Chamberlain, Robert Hewitt Jr.
Screenwriter: Kenny Riches
Distributor: FilmBuff
Production Co: Class Laboratory, Film Exchange
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 26, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2016
Runtime: 1h 40m