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06/24/06
Assisted Living (2005)
77
%
Tomatometer
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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.
Reviews for Assisted Living
Top CriticMuch more drama than fact, but it is the addition of real-life elements that give it such an unusual sense of authenticity and truth.
02/03/05
Playing jokes on old people isn't funny.
02/02/05
Assisted Living is a remarkably moving look at the prisons in our midst that most of us manage to ignore until we need them.
04/22/05
Despite the often depressing nature of this film, it's absolutely pretty to look at throughout -- magnificently shot!
02/08/05
Has a few moments that charm and a scene or two that even transcend the discomfort of its premise and presentation, but not enough stamina in the end to justify its smoke and mirrors.
10/07/03
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.
07/24/03
Maggie Riley, a former circus performer who suffered two strokes and a heart attack during the filming of this movie, is a revelation in this role [Mrs. Pearlman].
04/19/05
There is a certain meditative grace to the cinematography here, but after a while, well, I was just plain bored.
09/01/06
Authentically unconventional -- opening in the form of an almost convincing mock documentary -- but it gradually evolves into something more deeply affecting.
04/14/05
Top CriticWorks more than it doesn't, though it's easy to conclude that the film exploits some of the elderly in the movie.
04/01/05
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.
03/21/05
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.
02/17/05
[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.
02/08/05
What gives Assisted Living its unexpected weight is the spectacular turn by Riley, a former circus performer.
02/03/05
Top CriticWhile never shying away from the unavoidable facts aging, particularly the devastating effects of diseases like Alzheimer's, Greenebaum manages to portray old-age as a condition with its own peculiar beauty and considerable grace.
02/04/05
The easy moral to draw is that everyone needs assistance in living, but the more difficult truth is that living is illusory always.
02/18/05
Parts of the film play like the world's slowest and most insensitive reality show.
02/02/05
generously appreciates the very human conditions of its characters and culminates in a unique story worthy of attention
02/16/05
Elliot Greenebaum's hardheaded comedy has the guardedly facetious tone of a fake documentary.
02/02/05
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