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Movies / Upcoming / The Way We Get By
The Way We Get By

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The Way We Get By (2009)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:22

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: The Way We Get By is a thoughtful, poignant look at some unsung American heroes.

Runtime: 84 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: The SXSW Special Jury Award winning "The Way We Get By" is a deeply moving film about life and how to live it. Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters - a group of senior... The SXSW Special Jury Award winning "The Way We Get By" is a deeply moving film about life and how to live it. Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters - a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq, the film quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality.

When its three subjects aren't at the airport, they wrestle with their own problems: failing health, depression, mounting debt. Joan, a grandmother of eight, has a deep connection to the soldiers she meets. The sanguine Jerry keeps his spirits up even as his personal problems mount. And the veteran Bill, who clearly has trouble taking care of himself, finds himself contemplating his own death. Seeking out the telling detail rather than offering sweeping generalizations, the film carefully builds stories of heartbreak and redemption, reminding us how our culture casts our elders, and too often our soldiers, aside. More important, regardless of your politics, "The Way We Get By" celebrates three unsung heroes who share their love with strangers who need and deserve it. --© Official Site [More]

Director: Aron Gaudet

Director: Aron Gaudet
Producer: Gita Pullapilly
Composer: Zack Martin
Studio: International Film Circuit Inc.

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Reviews for The Way We Get By

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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The earnest documentary is filled with many small moments that are heartfelt.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/15/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

plucks every heartstring but never in a manipulative or maudlin way.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/12/09
Don Willmott
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com

Both a moving testament to the elderly folks who meet the troops and an interesting look at the troops themselves.

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
10/02/09
Sonny Bunch
Sonny Bunch
Washington Times

It is straightforward work. Yet over time, it becomes clearly, steadfastly about the existential.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
09/25/09
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

A poignant and lovingly constructed documentary ... and, even though it doesn't wear its politics on its sleeve, it is quite a patriotic picture.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
09/01/09
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Watching them issue hugs produces an involuntary response. You want to hug them, too.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
08/27/09
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

This is a nice documentary about nice people who are doing a nice thing.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
08/17/09
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

I can't recall when I last noticed such a lovely and distinct color palette used in a documentary...a poetic reflection on man facing his mortality.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
08/17/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Bring your handkerchiefs.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
08/14/09
Gary Goldstein
Gary Goldstein
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

These remarkable individuals contribute to a story that is not just indescribably moving but is a timeless metaphor for our country.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/27/09
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

A heartfelt, mildly fascinating documentary that lacks sufficient insight to keep you thoroughly intrigued and enlightened.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
07/19/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

Contains more useful, homespun philosophizing and genuine sentiment than a year’s worth of narrative films. That it’s so well made is a bonus.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
07/17/09
John P. McCarthy
John P. McCarthy
Boxoffice Magazine

Although it has affecting moments, the film can't quite decide whether it's about aging or about the effects of war on the home front, and its modest scale is more appropriate for TV than the big screen.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment 1 Comment
07/17/09
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post

The Way We Get By stays focused on the greeters' mix of loneliness and determination, the pleasure of feeling needed and the pain of growing old.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
07/17/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Aron Gaudet's film rages with quiet dignity against the dying of the light.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
07/17/09
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unfailingly modest and profoundly humane.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
07/17/09
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Way We Get By is neither pro- nor anti-war; it’s a somber study of perpetually unsettled lives.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
07/16/09
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club

Though Aron Gaudet’s documentary never quite captures the relieved atmosphere of these homecomings, it does acknowledge the dark side of a cheery platitude: those on both sides of the divide are in need of healing.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
07/15/09
S. James Snyder
S. James Snyder
Time Out New York

Gaudet has a hard time extending his material to feature length.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
07/15/09
Nick Pinkerton
Nick Pinkerton
Village Voice

A beautiful, affecting documentary with an appropriately sweet original sound track.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
07/15/09
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card
 
 
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