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Movies / On DVD / Assisted Living
Assisted Living

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Assisted Living (2005)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:34

Rotten:10

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: An unconventional, heartfelt blend of fact and fiction.

Runtime: 78 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: In this surprisingly moving film, the growing trend of assisted living facilities for the elderly is examined through a lighthearted drama. The main character is a young man named Todd (Michael... In this surprisingly moving film, the growing trend of assisted living facilities for the elderly is examined through a lighthearted drama. The main character is a young man named Todd (Michael Bonsignore) who works as an aide in such a facility. For the most part, he struggles to cope with the day-to-day challenges of the job including Alzheimer's-afflicted patients, demanding nurses, his nagging supervisor, and the sadness that is an inherent part of working with very old people nearing death. Amazingly, he finds a way to keep everybody laughing with a combination of his slackerish pot-smoking attitude, his penchant for playing practical jokes on the residents, and his generally carefree outlook on life. The friendship he forms with one resident, Mrs. Pearlman (Maggie Riley), leads him to eventually move on, however. Writer-director Elliot Greenebaum finds a truly artistic way to communicate the difficulties that face seniors in 21st century America. Repeating imagery of hands, touching conversations about the afterlife, and general empathy for each person's unique situation add valor to this sensitive film. Most of all, ASSISTED LIVING is about helping people, and trying to make the best of aging, which is rarely an easy process. [More]

Starring: Michael Bonsignore, Maggie Riley, Nancy Jo

Starring: Michael Bonsignore, Maggie Riley, Nancy Jo

Director: Elliot Greenebaum

Director: Elliot Greenebaum
Producer: Archie Borders
Screenwriter: Elliot Greenebaum
Producer: Alex Laskey, Elliot Greenebaum, Alan Oxman

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Assisted Living

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/30/05
Boston Phoenix
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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N/R

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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This quiet, often meditative film is filled with observant, graceful touches that suggest the assured hand of a veteran filmmaker.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/04/05
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Todd and Mrs. Pearlman are interesting characters you want to spend time with and get to know thanks to the fine performances by Michael Bonsignore and Maggie Riley.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
03/21/05
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com

The easy moral to draw is that everyone needs assistance in living, but the more difficult truth is that living is illusory always.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
02/18/05
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

What gives Assisted Living its power is that the film was shot in a real home for the aged, and the patients -- with the exception of Riley's Mrs. Pearlman -- are genuine.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
02/17/05
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

Gently filmed, quietly thoughtful, sometimes almost heartbreaking.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
02/03/05
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Playing jokes on old people isn't funny.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
02/02/05
Debra Birnbaum
Debra Birnbaum
New York Post

Fascinating experimental film.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/03/05
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

[A] good first effort, a lyrical little movie that is filled with a relaxed Southern charm and a beautiful regard for the people – real and fictional – who inhabit it.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/08/05
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

It’s a sensitive portrayal of a jolly, caring environment that unwittingly converts its charges into helpless infants.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
04/14/05
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly

Despite the often depressing nature of this film, it's absolutely pretty to look at throughout -- magnificently shot!

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
02/08/05
Eric Campos
Eric Campos
Film Threat

It's a slight movie, setting a poignant scene but not quite filling out even its running time. Still, I like its wry sense of humor and compassionate heart.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
05/15/05
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Writer/director Elliot Greenebaum perfectly captures the claustrophobic setting of these homes, so that when we finally get out for our catharsis, we want to call our grandparents or parents.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/24/03
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Says more about aging in America...than all the sweet but false fables Hollywood has manufactured about the elderly. It's worth seeking out.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
03/22/05
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

A blend of fact and fiction that feels like a breath of fresh air in a medium that too often trivializes the hard realities of age.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
04/15/05
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

Features a crackerjack performance from Michael Bonsignore as a nursing home slacker with heart.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/31/05
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Tedious, film-school level exercise in self-indulgence and exploitation.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
02/04/05
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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