I really enjoyed this. It was educational and entertaining. I especially liked the case studies linked with scientific facts like the 1.618 rule. That was very interesting, although I personally did not agree with the final model choice. While she may have had the correct proportions on paper, I just didn’t find her that appealing or extraordinary in any way.

I had seen a similar documentary many years ago on the same subject, but not nearly as entertaining or as broad in the research of the face and to what and why we find it appealing. I would watch this again.

John Cleese interviews top scholars and professionals in psychology, cosmetic surgery, and evolutionary psychology to study facial expressions (e.g., Paul Ekman), how we communicate with them (e.g, John Gottman), and our evolutionary preferences for symmetric faces (e.g., David Buss).

In the first episode Cleese reviews the literature (including Ekman’s), which I first read in Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, that shows how simply smiling can put one in a better mood. This may sound like the clichéd ideas of motivational speakers, but it’s true.

At the end of the third episode, Cleese references quotes George Orwell: “At 50 everyone has the face he deserves.” (article about it.) I wonder if there’s truth to it. It reminds me of a Talking Heads song from their Remain in Light album, Seen & Not Seen.

First 3 episodes are quite good. The last one is weak: very little or no scholarship or science. It’s more like a feature on Entertainment Tonight. The 2nd disc is also disappointing. There’s an interview with David Buss and a neuroscience researcher that are worthwhile.