Writer and researcher Dan Beuttner adapts his work to documentary TV with Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (now on Netflix), a travel/self-improvement series that takes him to different corners of the globe, sussing out what makes people in specific areas – “blue zones,” to use the terminology he coined – enjoy longer, healthier lives. This four-parter finds the bestselling author, speaker and National Geographic Fellow roaming through Sardinia, Singapore and several points between, and not only sharing his findings, but also synergizing his theories across multiple platforms by producing and starring in video-based content. Which brings up the question: Does the series dole out useful information, or merely function as a promotional tool for Beuttner’s other products?
Opening Shot: As Buettner strolls through a cemetery, he says via voiceover, “Most of us don’t want to think about dying.”
The Gist: He’s right – who wants to be all morbid and shit, sitting around and thinking about becoming wormfood all the time? But Buettner says it’s an inevitability, and we should think about the “when” part of kicking the bucket and, more to the point, if we can do anything about that. He asserts that so many of us have it all wrong about what it takes to live longer, and that too many people die of “avoidable disease.” His research uncovered five regions where people live to be 100 in greater numbers than anywhere else in the world, so he’s going to take us there to try to figure out why.
Before we get too deep into Buettner’s explorations, he introduces himself: He once set some Guinness world records by bicycling across five continents; cue a clip of him being interviewed by David Letterman. He wrote about his journeys, which helped him launch his career as a multi-hyphenate who, thankfully, in this documentary series anyway, is less interested in talking about himself than talking to others and sharing his findings. And so we follow him to Okinawa, a Japanese island we all recognize as the setting for The Karate Kid II. Eighty-one percent of the people on Okinawa live to be 100, and remarkably few of them have diabetes, heart disease or dementia – and one can only assume they also avoid sweeping the leg, which I hear increases mortality by a zillion percent.
Buettner interviews a 101-year-old woman who says her secret to longevity is to “have fun, and don’t get angry.” It’s all about laughter for her. And at this point, just as we wonder if Buettner is going to get into feelgood hooey, he reveals that Okinawans eat the living crap out of purple sweet potatoes (which, if you’ve been paying attention to buzzwordy food trends, has been labeled a “superfood”). OK, so that’s more practical advice than “laugh more.” Then he reveals that Okinawans’ diets consist of low-calorie, nutrition-rich foods like sweet potatoes, squid ink soup and tofu, and that they aim to eat until they’re “80 percent full.” Compare that to America, where food is in abundance and often processed, resulting in the population’s consumption of significantly more calories, and significantly less-nutritious food. (Note, if anyone has an app that can gauge stomach-capacity percentages, hit me in the DMs, please!)
Then Buettner shifts from diet to other areas that help define health and happiness: physical fitness, a sense of community and belonging, and positive life philosophies. We meet a 90-something-year-old guy who flexes like a yoga master. We meet a group of women in their 80s and 90s who subscribe to the concept of “moai,” where they pool money to help each other out and frequently lend each other emotional support. Then Buettner examines how the brutal impact of World War II on Okinawa instilled in people the idea of “ikigai,” or a sense of purpose. But Okinawa is only one example of a “blue zone” – next stop, Sardinia!
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Live to 100 takes the silver-haired-guy-jets-hither-and-yon formula of the Anthony Bourdain series and combines it with Netflix self-help stuff like Get Smart with Money, Brene Brown: Call to Courage and The Mind Explained.
Our Take: Funny, there’s nothing here about “sparking joy” by rearranging the furniture in your walk-in humidor, or investing your money in crypto-NFT futures. Buettner’s approach to a better, longer life – at least after one episode of Live to 100 – is simpler and more fundamental than that. And sure, his assertions about diet, exercise and psychological well-being (in a nutshell: eat less and smarter, move your body, make friends, have greater goals than sitting in your barcalounger and binging Netflix) is no revelation, but his sort-of-deep-dives into what works for people in particular localities offers an opportunity to potentially apply some hyper-specific advice to our own lives: Hey, maybe we should incorporate more squid ink soup into our diets!
Granted, there’s only so deep Beuttner can go in a 30-to-45-minute episode, so you may be yearning for a little more science behind his assertions. And the implication is, for more information, go buy my books! (Side note: Libraries are things that still exist, and you should use them!) But our relatively humble host does two things right here: He gets out of the way and never lets the show be about himself, and he keeps it positive. There are opportunities for him to be highly critical of American lifestyles, but he never takes a negative tone. He’s upbeat but measured, which lends him credibility. Series like this can be platforms for snake oil salespeople, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with this one.
Sex and Skin: None so far.
Parting Shot: A teaser shot of elderly Sardinians clapping and having a grand old time.
Sleeper Star: She’s not likely to turn up in future episodes, but 97-year-old Miyo Oshiro steals a scene by rolling up her sleeve and showing off her lean, taut biceps.
Most Pilot-y Line: Beuttner’s thesis statement about the secrets to a longer life: “I believe it’s not by trying to prevent death. It’s by learning how to live.”
Our Call: STREAM IT. Live to 100 leans away from woo-woo and self-promotion, and gives us a reasonably compelling investigation into longevity.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.