For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - How To Live Forever
The Impression:
How To Live Forever, from the slick trailers and
impressive DVD menus, fits seamlessly in to the mold of the
pop-umentary. Catchy subject, little to no actual
interesting content, well-made and visually interesting,
these trifles of the documentary world seem enjoyable, but
are like devouring a ball of squished together cotton candy
in under a minute.
The Reality:
I actually found a lot to like about Mark Wexler’s How To
Live Forever. Wexler does a fine job of deeply exploring
the various facets of old age and how we get there and why
as a society we are so turned on by the concept of
immortality. It’s snappily pieced together with beautiful
collage-style animations to illustrate many of the more
prescient points and if not for one glaring detail, I’d
highly recommend the film. Unfortunately that detail is Mark
Wexler. Wexler is a dull, monotone host of the worst kind,
the kind who can’t get enough of the screen. There is no
reason How To Live Forever is a sort of aging
travelogue other than the fact that it allows Mark Wexler to
be on screen, selling Mark Wexler as much as possible.
Wexler’s presence adds nothing to the film but an awkward
tour guide who couldn’t muster an ounce of charisma if the
situation turned lethal. A particular awkward intrusion of
the blandness king Wexler occurs during an interview the
surprisingly still attractive Suzanne Sommers. Without
reason or grace, Wexler’s smiling face is crammed in to the
interview, not once, but twice as if to say, aging is pretty
important, but less so than Mark Wexler. It’s distracting
and detracting and the film, more than interesting little
ditty it is, suffers because of it.
The Lesson:
Mark Wexler the screen is not your friend. Go on and make
other friends, just behind the camera.
- Noah Sanders
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