VIDAL SASSOON: THE MOVIE
Beautifully designed, informative, and best for teens and adults.
Should You Watch It?
VIDAL SASSOON: THE MOVIE offers an interesting look at a hairstylist who became an international cultural icon. It celebrates his creativity, innovation, design sense, and transformation of the hairstyling industry. The documentary is also beautifully shot, mostly in vivid black and white, giving it a strong visual identity.
The film’s weaknesses are real. Its storyline does not always flow properly, and some unnecessary scenes do not add much. More importantly for Christian viewers, Vidal Sassoon’s humanist spirituality and Romantic approach to marriage depart from a biblical view of faithfulness and family.
If you are a teenager or adult interested in design and cultural history, this documentary is worth seeing with discernment.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESThis documentary follows Vidal Sassoon from a troubled childhood to his rise as a hairstylist who revolutionized his industry. It traces his apprenticeship, innovative salons, architectural approach to hair design, product empire, cultural influence, family life, and later charitable work.
The film is structured in a linear pattern and follows a visual book created as a tribute to Sassoon by Michael Gordon, founder of the hair care company Bumble & bumble.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is an informative and visually appealing documentary with noticeable weaknesses. Its mostly vivid black-and-white cinematography creates a high design sense, fitting a subject devoted to beauty, architecture, and creative form.
The film’s linear structure is easy to follow, but the storyline sometimes fails to flow properly. Some scenes seem unnecessary and do not add much to the documentary’s purpose. Even so, it provides an interesting insight into Sassoon’s designs, creativity, and innovation.
The Worldview
The documentary presents Vidal Sassoon as a creative visionary whose work transformed hairstyling. It highlights his determination, design, innovation, entrepreneurship, charity work, and belief in self-giving as a spiritual experience. The film also contains a strong pro-capitalist view and refers to his Jewish background.
Its spiritual outlook is humanist rather than biblical. Sassoon says that he finds spirituality through his own works and does not find it in religion. The documentary also presents a Romantic view of marriage, in which relationships are guided primarily by the feelings of the heart rather than by God’s will.
The family portrayal is troubled and dysfunctional. The film includes marital changes, divorce, and the absence of a good father figure. These elements show the cost of treating personal feeling as the highest authority.
The documentary rightly values creativity, generosity, and charity. Scripture also calls believers to serve others: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10). But true spirituality is not found in human achievement alone; it is found in knowing God through Christ.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong, somewhat mixed pagan worldview includes pagan references to yoga positions, title character rejects religion in favor of his own self-centered humanist philosophy, and some Romantic elements regarding family and marital lifestyle, plus some moral elements include charity work and a reference to a Jewish background; three profanities; no violence; mention made of male hairdressers sleeping with clients and mention of an extra-marital affair and divorce; upper male nudity and the “mini skirt” is honored; alcohol use; reference to title subject’s daughter overdosing on drugs; and, lack of a good father figure and dysfunctional family portrayal leads to Vidal Sassoon’s daughter overdosing on drugs.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film presents Sassoon’s work as a source of spirituality. Where can human achievement serve others well, and where can it become a substitute for God?
Isaiah 42:8 · 1 Peter 4:10Sassoon’s relationships are presented through the feelings of the heart. How does Scripture describe faithful love and marriage?
Matthew 19:4–6 · Ephesians 5:25The documentary includes charity work. What makes generosity pleasing to God rather than merely a way to feel virtuous?
Matthew 6:1–4 · 2 Corinthians 9:7The film portrays the effects of a troubled family life. How can Christians become faithful, godly influences in their families and communities?
Deuteronomy 6:6–7 · Titus 2:3–5The Final Word
VIDAL SASSOON: THE MOVIE is a beautiful, informative portrait of a major creative figure. Its uneven structure and mixed worldview require discernment, but teens and adults interested in design may find the journey worthwhile. Our answer is WORTH THE TRIP — TEENS AND ADULTS.
