Elliot Greenebaum's hardheaded comedy has the guardedly facetious tone of a fake documentary.
Assisted Living (2005)
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.
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
Reviews for Assisted Living
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.
Parts of the film play like the world's slowest and most insensitive reality show.
Assisted Living could be described as a small film, but it displays more thought and feeling than that moniker implies.
Features a crackerjack performance from Michael Bonsignore as a nursing home slacker with heart.
This art house fodder is just quirky and fresh enough to catch on with audiences.
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.
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.
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