Assisted Living
Cowboy Pictures | Release Date: February 2, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
5
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Film ThreatEric Campos
It's difficult at first to tell whether this is a documentary or a fictional work and this makes Assisted Living all the more involving. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
This finale turns Assisted Living from fascinating experimental film into something finer. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
Somehow, Assisted Living jells. Maggie Riley is astoundingly convincing, and she and Bonsignore's Todd have an unforced chemistry that catches you off guard. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Gently filmed, quietly thoughtful, sometimes almost heartbreaking. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
Works more often than it doesn't. Read full review
70
VarietyScott Foundas
A noteworthy piece on a difficult subject. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
May be a comedy, but its images of physical frailty are inescapably unsettling. As the camera fixates on frail, spotted trembling hands unsteadily reaching out, it is impossible not to imagine a future in which those hands could be yours. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Greenebaum manages to portray old-age as a condition with its own peculiar beauty and considerable grace. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Yet for all its willful blurring of the lines between documentary and fiction, Assisted Living is the least self-conscious of movies. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
Only 22 when he began shooting the film, Greenebaum displays a prodigious understanding of the treatment of the elderly in contemporary America. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The whimsy Greenebaum wants to construct can't match the terminal sadness that naturally takes over the film. Perhaps in accidental tribute to Todd, the whole thing feels half-baked. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJoe Mader
A curious film with real heart but questionable technique. This art house fodder is just quirky and fresh enough to catch on with audiences. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Assisted Living's overall mix doesn't quite jell, though there are worthwhile moments. Read full review
50
Village VoicePeter L'Official
There's a finer line between peaceable pothead jocularity and just being a dick--and sometimes it's tough to tell whether Todd is more Jon Stewart or Tucker Carlson. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
Assisted Living gets a little better as it wears on, and at least it's refreshingly short. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleShawn Badgley
The occasionally contrived music-video slicky edge, and the fact that there's no way on God's green earth that what takes place in Assisted Living happens in one day, it's a noble effort. Read full review
38
New York PostDebra Birnbaum
Jarringly insensitive and amateurish debut feature. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Greenebaum's tedious, film-school level exercise in self-indulgence and exploitation. Read full review
0
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Parts of the film play like the world's slowest and most insensitive reality show (Who Wants to Be an Octogenarian?). Read full review
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