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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 rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
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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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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
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Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
Nigel Floyd
Nigel Floyd
Time Out New York

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

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

Has a few enlightening moments but has just as many that are tedious.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
05/13/05
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

There is a certain meditative grace to the cinematography here, but after a while, well, I was just plain bored.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/01/06
Lisa Ann Cockrel
Lisa Ann Cockrel
Christianity Today

Parts of the film play like the world's slowest and most insensitive reality show.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
02/02/05
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

The problem with Greenebaum's approach is that in courting the confusion between real and constructed realities, he allows our emotional response to become similarly confused.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
02/02/05
Peter L'Official
Peter L'Official
Village Voice

There is a tender, poignant story in here... worthy of a great 20-minute short, not enough to fill writer-director Elliot Greenebaum's rambling mock-documentary.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
05/13/05
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
05/14/05
Shawn Badgley
Shawn Badgley
Austin Chronicle

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.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
10/07/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

The whimsy Greenebaum wants to construct can't match the terminal sadness that naturally takes over the film.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
04/29/05
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

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
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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