Wonderful character development!

Touches You

Too much of everything

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

I enjoy documentaries for what they are intended to do. A good documentary will detail a specific story line and usually avoid providing any particular biased point of view. Kudos to Mark Wexler, writer, producer, director and the main star of "How To Live Forever". Not only did he shy away from providing a specific point of view but he also coined the films sub title as "Results May Vary". This is very true based on the various real life experiences of the people that Mark interviews from around the world and how they explain their longevity which varies by many different life styles and countries.Some do not eat red meat, some drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes daily, and others just tend to live a happy life and not worry about their health at all. Other than Jack LaLanne's power juicer promotion which good old Jack promoted for half a century, and Susanne Somers extensive use of a various array of hormonal stimulants and vitamins, I did not feel Mark was plugging any particular line of products which would have driven me nuts, so thanks Mark for keeping your documentary real.Phyllis Diller was entertaining, as were some of the people being interviewed such as Britain's Buster Martin who was a 104-year-old beer drinking and chain-smoking marathon runner. Buster cleaned vans for a living which he did right up to his last day. On April 12, 2011, Buster finished work, went to the pub for his regular pint of beer and then went home and died at the young age of 104.I thought maybe the film would dig in to some of the centenarians family background and gene pool but it did not. To digress for just a minute, there was a PBS documentary titled the Italian Americans, based on an Italian neighborhood pocket in Roseto Pennsylvania that I thought Mark may have discussed that details the Roseto effect. In 1912 Roseto became the first 100% Italian borough in the USA. A scientific study was done in the 1960's by Dr. Stewart Wolf that identified the entire towns people of Roseto had a substantially longer life span, suffered no heart attacks, was not attributed to diet, and died simply from old age. The study concluded that it was the strong family support circle of the entire Italian neighborhood that provided the people who lived in Roseto Pennsylvania with a serene, stable, calming and loving life of their family and friends from birth through their eventual death from old age.The message I took away from this documentary was to eat and drink in moderation, maintain a positive attitude, don't get too worked up about what MAY happen, and make sure you take time to smell the coffee, enjoy friends, exercise regularly and most especially laugh.I think the next film I will watch will be the John Candy/Steve Martin film Planes, Trains and Automobiles which is one of my all time favorite comedy films that will be sure to make me laugh regardless of how many times I watch it.I give How To Live Forever a strong 7 out of 10 rating. Well done Mark Wexler!

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.

When I went to go see the Film How To Live Forever, I though i would be watching something that dealt with just issue that only elder people face. Being a member of generation X myself I learned through out the course of the film, not to just how to stay healthy, but to know how to be happy in life. As some one just starting my adult life, I thought the film offered valuable insight from a host of people that will help guide me. I loved how the director was able to balance the seriousness of the dialogue with comedic vignettes such as the great Phyllis Diller. The dark horse of the film is Buster, he was the oldest working person in the UK and trained for marathons at the age of 101, but he did this all while drinking and smoking. If there was an award for best supporting person in a documentary it would go to Buster. You can help but fall in love with a man who has lived for so long but yet reminds you of a college student. The countless stories told in the film How To Live Forever are what make this film a gem, stories that before this film was made were only known to a select few. Now this film will share with us the amazing stories of some amazing people.

I really enjoyed the humor of this movie- it sent a great message to every viewer. Aging is such a negative hype and How To Live Forever sheds a new light upon the topic. Screw the typical "health/exercise/eat right" advice; the people interviewed in this film tell it how it is and that positive attitude/enjoyment of life itself is the key. Includes a variety of people ranging from fitness guru Jack LaLanne (deceased) to Suzanne Somers and John Robbins. I'd have to say Buster Martin the smoker/drinker/marathon runner was my favorite. If only more seniors aged as happily as these did the world would be a brighter place! I recommend this to everyone of any age! Entertaining, inspiring, light hearted and fun.