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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 date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
Nigel Floyd
Nigel Floyd
Time Out New York

Sensitively considers the potential for liberation of the mind from the shackles of the aging body, no matter how deteriorated that physical human essence might be.

Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
03/26/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press

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
N/R

Click to read the article

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

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Click to read the article

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

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

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

[A] charming and original little comedy.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/06/05
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Watching the movie is like conducting a conversation with a loved one stricken by Alzheimer's: It's at once moving and maddening.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
05/05/05
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/30/05
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Becomes an affecting story about the bond that develops between shiftless Todd and Mrs. Pearlman.

Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
04/29/05
Paul Sherman
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald

Assisted Living is a remarkably moving look at the prisons in our midst that most of us manage to ignore until we need them.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
04/22/05
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post

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].

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/19/05
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

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

Authentically unconventional -- opening in the form of an almost convincing mock documentary -- but it gradually evolves into something more deeply affecting.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/14/05
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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