Critic Reviews

• Trevor Johnston, Time Out

  Yes, it's a feature doc about a hairdresser. And you can wipe that supercilious smirk off your face right now.

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" might as well be titled "Vidal Sassoon: The Infomercial" for all of the distance it maintains from its subject.

• Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

  Classic tale of a self-made man.

• Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

  Less of a documentary than a testimonial, Craig Teper's Vidal Sassoon: The Movie offers up a carefully coiffed look into the life of the legendary hairdresser.

• Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

  Beyond the love fest of talking heads is a compelling life story that courses through the Depression, World War II and swinging London, all evoked in well-curated archival footage.

• Stephen Holden, New York Times

  Vidal Sassoon: The Movie isn't just the story of a brilliant fashion idea that swept the globe. It is a euphoric account of one man's strenuous self-invention.

• Phil Hall, EDGE Boston

  This tiresome non-fiction film is over packed with employees, former employees and old-time business partners who insist that Sassoon is the most amazing person on the planet.

• Philip French, Guardian [UK]

  I could have done with something a little more critical than this polished, adulatory film, which comes over like a curtain raiser to be shown at a gathering of his 10,000 employees worldwide.

• Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

  Lively and enjoyable, even if it seems unwilling to explore any dark corners.

• Marc Lee, Daily Telegraph

  The story of "the greatest hairdresser who ever lived" isn't given enough historical context: one of his Sixties contemporaries, designer Mary Quant, is on hand to reminisce, but the rest of the decade is merely a blur in the background.

• Charlotte O'Sullivan, This is London

  If Vidal The Movie were a haircut, it would be a peek-a-boo fringe. Now you see him, now you don't.

• Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express

  Sassoon deserves this tribute and there are some interesting social insights.

• Shawn Levy, Oregonian

  The film feels superficial even for something set in the fashion world, and after chronicling Sassoon's unlikely ascent, it all starts to feel air-kissy and fluffy. There is a great story here, though, and Sassoon is undeniably inspirational.

• Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]

  Though you'd never have anticipated it, Vidal Sassoon emerges as an genuinely likable figure of some substance in this admittedly hagiographic documentary.

• Jason Goodyer, Little White Lies

  Would have been more effective as an hour-long TV doc.

• Matthew Turner, ViewLondon

  Stylishly directed and edited, this is an undeniably entertaining and occasionally fascinating documentary about a genuinely intriguing subject.

• Karen Krizanovich, Radio Times

  Sometimes it's the little things that make the largest cultural impact, and Vidal Sassoon shows just how pivotal the work of one ambitious hairdresser can be.

• Kate Stables, Total Film

  The breathless account of Sassoon's '80s stint as hair-product mogul would have benefited from some September Issue-style detachment, and ironically, the whole film could do with a good trim.

• Eve Barlow, Empire Magazine

  Hardly hard-hitting but a thoughtful and spirited look at a man at the top of his game and a moment in time that refused to fade.

• Robbie Collin, News of the World

  Takes an enlightening look at the life of a Jewish lad from Hammersmith who became a fashion world superstar by cutting women's hair in a style that became known as "the Justin Bieber".

Read all 21 critic reviews