How to Live Forever (2011)

Early in Mark Wexler's documentary, How To Live Forever, he shows us a crude drawing of a roller-coaster that has the many stages of life on it. It goes "Diapers, Disneyland, rock and roll, masturbation, sex, marriage, career, colonoscopy, retirement, seafood buffet, "ow, my back," drool, confusion, and diapers." He states he used to look on at the roller-coaster and laugh, but sadly, life itself has caught up with him, and day by day he finds these simple statements becoming more and more true to life.Wexler is 52, the son of famed cinematographer Haskell, appears to be physically fit, packs in enough knowledge and interest in the subject of a long life and mortality to make a very compelling documentary on the issue, and sets out to interview numerous elderly Television icons and centenarians all across the world. Throughout his journey, we are great with effervescent souls of all ages, one of them being the oldest living human, at 115. We get an inside long at the "Ms. Senior America" pageant where to be eligible to compete, you have to be sixty or older. We get interviews with Suzanne Sommers (who states the seven dwarfs of meta-pause are itchy, bitchy, sleepy, sweaty, bloated, forgetful, and all-dried-up), Ray Bradbury, and fitness guru Jack LaLanne who, even in his later years, is quick, spunky, and intelligently astute.One of the film's highest points is when we are taught the surprising lifestyle of the Okinawan people. It is not surprising if they hit the age of 100, because they have a nutrient filled diet, they are active because it's the right thing to do, not because they want to lose weight, and have very little stress because of calming activities, such as gardening, fishing, and dancing. One of them is animator Tyrus Wong, who flies kites of beauty and complexity and dives in with a net, underwater, in an attempt to catch fish. He is 98 years old, by the way. He's a loner, but so graceful, cheery, and calm that it is almost as if life never got the best of him.Then of course, we encounter the mascot of the film; Buster Martin, a 101 year old chain-smoking, beer drinking Brit, who claims to never drink tea, water, or anything other than a mug of the good stuff. He is an avid marathon runner, whose training program consists of five beers and five cigarettes, and hastily tells Wexler "I ain't like you normal people." In April of 2011, Martin died at the alleged age of 104.One of the last people we meet is 100 year old Elanor Wasson, who speaks with such gratitude and knowledge it truly is remarkable. An outspoken Atheist, Wasson believes the Earth revolves around karmic revenge, the law of love, and freewill and free-choice. "God didn't let it happen. We let it happen by making bad choices." I couldn't agree more.How To Live Forever is a wholly entertaining documentary, looking at many fields of the subject of mortality such as anti-aging medicines, the subject of living past 100 (at one point, humans were only expected to live to be around 23), certain life-changing dietary efforts, and a plethora of charismatic people who have beaten the odds, many of them providing piercingly accurate insight and intelligence about the world around us.NOTE: The film was released theatrically in 2009, and has just been released to DVD in 2012. During these three years, it has come to my attention that Ray Bradbury, Buster Martin, Eleanor Wasson, and Jack LaLanne have all passed away. It's almost as if they were featured in the film to give their opinions on their age and the appointed issues, and then passed away.Starring: Mark Wexler, Buster Martin, Jack LaLanne, Eleanor Wasson, Ray Bradbury, John Robbins, Tyrus Wong, and Suzanne Sommers. Directed by: Mark Wexler.

Director Mark Wexler freaks out about growing older, and decides to fight back. Luckily for us, he takes his camera along for the journey. With characteristic wit and depth, Wexler tackles the complex and prickly subject of aging with a surprising variety of opinions. This gem of a film gives us the cutting-edge science of futurist Ray Kurzweil, the wisdom of author Marianne Williamson, and the genius of science fiction legend Ray Bradbury, alongside more controversial voices like a 101 year old chain-smoking marathoner and an elder porn star. Wexler works out with fitness legend Jack LaLanne, contemplates a future on ice at a cryonics lab, laughs with comedienne Phyllis Diller, drinks gallons of green tea, and extracts promises of immortality from life-extension expert Aubrey de Grey, but draws a blank when asked by his friend, writer Pico Iyer, the actual merits of simply wanting more. It is the ultimate question, and one the director sagely leaves to the viewer. After all, as the subtitle warns us, results may vary.

When I first heard that it was a documentary about aging I was a little hesitant. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the film A LOT. "How to Live Forever" completely opened up my eyes to something that I never really put much thought into. Mark Wexler did an awesome job with the flow of the film and the interviews that he selected. In the beginning of the film, I thought it would conquer the question on how you can live forever. Wexler took us through a variety of interesting diets, exercises and life styles and traveled all around the world, but there was not a clear answer in the end. Not only was it entertaining to watch with the many fascinating interviewees but it was also educational as well. I found it inspiring to see adults in their 80's and 90's so happy. I'm not as afraid about aging as I was before…especially if I can tap dance like Dolores Bates can at 81 years old.

I personally really enjoyed this documentary. I feel like people that have disliked it have missed the actual message of the movie. I don't think its supposed to answer our questions about how to actually live forever, as much as its supposed to answer our questions about the best ways to live. If we figure out how to live right (mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically) and living to the fullest by doing the things we love, we may end up figuring out how to live as long as we can. I think he tries to show us that if we lead happy lives, our lives will thank us with extra time and longevity. He does an excellent job at combining both the non physical things we can do (i.e. spiritually, emotionally) with the physical things like nutrition and cosmetic. Although handling a touchy subject he manages a smooth unfolding with lighthearted humor.