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7

John935Jul 6, 2020

This little indie film surprised me in a good way. I like to be surprised in a good way! It's low-key. There is drama but that's kind of subdued. Julia Garner is wonderful. No guarantee but put on your thinking cap and you just might find itThis little indie film surprised me in a good way. I like to be surprised in a good way! It's low-key. There is drama but that's kind of subdued. Julia Garner is wonderful. No guarantee but put on your thinking cap and you just might find it interesting and different.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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7

TVJerryFeb 23, 2020

This is the first starring vehicle for Julia Garner, who's best known as the plucky blonde trailer trash from Ozark. She plays the assistant to a film executive who slogs thru a day at work fielding calls, making photocopies, fetching foodThis is the first starring vehicle for Julia Garner, who's best known as the plucky blonde trailer trash from Ozark. She plays the assistant to a film executive who slogs thru a day at work fielding calls, making photocopies, fetching food and other menial duties…all this while being ignored or abused by everyone around her. Her gradual disgust with her boss's licentiousness leaves her with a crisis of conscience..albeit rather low key. Garner does a wonderful job of underplaying her character's distress and disgust. Writer/director Kitty Green (whose only other feature is Casting JonBenét) shows an appreciation for the subtlety of sexism and the pressures of success. While it does take place almost entirely in one office on one day, the film still offers an interesting insight into a character coping with toxic work environment.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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8

OldGoatJun 25, 2020

Great little movie. Fine acting. A tragedy of humble person with the heart in right place, helpless in front of terrors and injustice. Evil may prevail even if good men are speaking.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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1

TwiTuJul 13, 2020

In this movie you always think something will happen. But nothing happens. The whole movie just keeps you guessing and never delivers proof of what its trying to tell you. It doesnt even tell you much about where its playing, leaves out aIn this movie you always think something will happen. But nothing happens. The whole movie just keeps you guessing and never delivers proof of what its trying to tell you. It doesnt even tell you much about where its playing, leaves out a huge chunk of context so that youre just sitting there with a huge question mark over your head most of the duration.
Its kinda funny how this reflects reality far too often.

I mean I know what its trying to say, but I hate movies that try to put it into a sexual way, only blame men. It happens with everyone. Not just women. EVERYONE. It happened to me too, and I am not a woman.
If you want to fix this, dont go after sexism, go after discrimination and favoritism/nepotism as a whole. The real problems make this movie look petty and dividing. The people going along with this are also the problem. Because they benefit from it and/or are too weak to speak up WHEN IT HAPPENS and dont document it. Its like supply and demand.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

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8

katezoeMay 14, 2020

Taking place over one workday, “The Assistant” examines the way everyday slights turn into a horror show of work place harassment. Julia Garner gives a wonderful performance.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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5

JLuis_001Apr 30, 2020

I might get some **** for saying this but part of this film felt like a cheap narrative resource grab because the Me Too movement was in a very algid point when the film was produced.
And I say this not because I felt the film was bad butI might get some **** for saying this but part of this film felt like a cheap narrative resource grab because the Me Too movement was in a very algid point when the film was produced.
And I say this not because I felt the film was bad but because it doesn't go anywhere. The approach is so slow and unsatisfying.

I liked the perspective because it usually doesn't get exposed in this way but it also feels too minimalist for its own good.
I mean it exposes the toxic environment women have to face in the workplace but it doesn't further the discussion at all.
So in a way I kinda wonder why a story like this one that needed more depth doesn't go to the places in needs to go.

Julia Gardner's sober performance and the relevance of the theme will save this film from immediate oblivion but in my opinion; The Assistant doesn't manage to make the statement I feel it believes is making and the end result unfortunately fails to exploit its potential… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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5

ChrisM1979Feb 3, 2020

It wasn't a bad movie. But it wasn't really a good movie either. I found it watchable and interesting enough on a moment to moment basis but when it ended a few people laughed and one guy said out loud "That's it?"
Stories have a beginning aIt wasn't a bad movie. But it wasn't really a good movie either. I found it watchable and interesting enough on a moment to moment basis but when it ended a few people laughed and one guy said out loud "That's it?"
Stories have a beginning a middle and an end. This movie just had a middle.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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6

NightReviewsFeb 27, 2020

Welcome! Have a seat.

As normal a greeting as could be, yet, the ramifications of such words hold such heavy and enduring provocations in Kitty Green’s feature film debut The Assistant. Fairly new to the narrative feature film world,Welcome! Have a seat.

As normal a greeting as could be, yet, the ramifications of such words hold such heavy and enduring provocations in Kitty Green’s feature film debut The Assistant. Fairly new to the narrative feature film world, Australian born Kitty Green gives audience members a documentarian style, “day in the life of” type film, shadowing the daily routine life of Jane (Julia Garner). Jane is a highly stressed, over-worked, entry-level assistant to an unnamed film mogul in New York City.

Seems like pretty regular stuff, right? Yet, Green’s Assistant is nothing short of extraordinary, yet completely relatable and ordinary to so many people watching it. Doused in elements of film-noir, to elements of an extreme thriller, The Assistant is a bold and brave new voice at the dawn of the #MeToo era of socially conscious, gender-inclusive filmmaking. And while the coincidences of the Harvey Weinstein case are hard to shake while watching each and every gripping frame of this film, it becomes a double-edged sword, of sorts, for Green’s chilling message. Yes, the obvious similarities to the once-famed and respected film mogul are apparent, yet this translucent piece of cinema is neither a documentation or reimagining of the obscenities of that one person, rather a realization that such small, impactful and everyday choices are heralded everyday, in every office, every workplace and happens or has happened to each and every one of us, regardless of gender.

Gathering the voices and stories of so many nameless individuals, as well as her own experiences in the world of film, Green uses subtle little anecdotes of each and every one of us, to relay a story as timeless as it is timely.

Stressed with on-going mundane tasks, Jane is subjected to so many responsibilities at her place of employment. From shifting schedules, booking hotels, travel arrangements and lying regularly to people over the phone, Jane’s good-hearted and innocent spirit is constantly battling and struggling with her own moral compass. Yet, with every opportunity of being kind-hearted, loyal and honest, her actions are almost immediately overmanned and undermined with character degrading emails to her boss, apologizing and asking for his forgiveness. Sentences such as, “I overreacted”, “It was not my place”, or “”I will not let you down again”, flood the screen of Jane’s emails. But Green is much more interested in the tiny actions much more than the larger melodrama filling most multiplexes today.

Like many classics thrillers, including Psycho and Rear Window, the notion that what’s shown off-screen will always be scarier than what we see on-screen; Green takes notes from these masterclass directors and shows her confidence in her actors and screenplay, allowing the heavy words and off-screen actions to thrill, disturb and keep the audience’s imagination constantly churning. While its hard to ignore the not-so-subtle messages being yelled towards the screen, the whole concept of ignoring what is right in front of you, and being ignored, are both very complex aspects of The Assistant. As an audience, we ask ourselves, “What can we do?”, if we were in Jane’s position, or if, we are in fact, in Jane’s position right NOW. Then, question like, “what do we do?” are the questions left flooding our own heads.

The Assistant, although casted with gendered actors, is a genderless and mandatory “fly-in-the-soup” type cinematic experience. The audience can easily imagine the role of Jane being a male, and the mogul role being a female, or both males or female characters, interchangeably. The genders portrayed in the films are as irrelevant as exactly what happens behind closed doors in each and every one of those offices. What matters most is the actions we take, even when our actions sometimes have no real ramifications or resolve. A challenge seen when Jane approaches Mr. Willcock, her HR department head, who, without hesitation, completely ignores her very strong cases of obvious sexual misconduct in the workplace, involving, none of than the commander-in-chief. Yet, like so many other nameless faces before and after Jane, instead of facing issues presented by disgruntled employees because of people in high place of power, these people who are hired to enact action and take the positions of the workers, threatens her position within the company; implying that he thought she was “smart”, as well as reminding her as competitive her position is and how she was chosen amongst so many other women who applied. Yet, throughout the film, through conversations Jane has with her parents, friends and family, constantly remind and encourage her just how “proud” they are of the position she has earned, and being constantly brainwashed just by how much of a great opportunity this is for her and her potential future.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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10

matthewmirlianiFeb 20, 2020

Understated and characterized by frightening realism, The Assistant is a tense, atmospheric, and crucial film that highlights patriarchal toxicity in the workplace and brilliantly places the experience of the victim (and not the perpetrator)Understated and characterized by frightening realism, The Assistant is a tense, atmospheric, and crucial film that highlights patriarchal toxicity in the workplace and brilliantly places the experience of the victim (and not the perpetrator) at the center of the story. It’s an immersive and anxious watch - an important mirror to and a stinging commentary on our times. Julia Garner gives an award-worthy performance, while the overcast cinematography and skilled direction perfectly cultivate a feeling of dystopian dread.… Expand

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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3

tibzoidJul 6, 2020

Tedious nothingness. Pure dial tone. Stare at a wall and you’ll be more entertained and receive more insight. And of course the woke outlets LOVED it. Fertile subject matter, but this just isn’t cinema.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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3

PdfortuneAug 8, 2020

It has a tense feel that didn’t pay off for me. If you like her in Ozark you will likely be disappointed with this bore fest. I was expecting a revenge flick. This could have been a great revenge movie.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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2

GreatMartinFeb 21, 2020

For many years I have stood up for seeing a movie in a theatre on the big screen it is made for. I am, also, a big backer of the #MeToo movement.

I have seen 9 movies so far this year and can only recommend two: "Clemency" and "Just Mercy".For many years I have stood up for seeing a movie in a theatre on the big screen it is made for. I am, also, a big backer of the #MeToo movement.

I have seen 9 movies so far this year and can only recommend two: "Clemency" and "Just Mercy". Both have excellent performances by the actors and though the latter tackles an often told story it is approached with an intensity that takes you into the hearts and minds of the characters while the former takes us into a world that hasn't often been explored.

The other 7 have either been a waste of time or a waste of money or a waste of time and money! "The Assistant" is both though it is one of the latest to tackle the the #MeToo movement. I was looking forward to seeing Julia Garner as I watched her in the Netflix series "Ozarks" and was intrigued by her performance. In a very short time, we have learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in the movie and television business and how badly women are treated.

Kitty Green, the director and screenwriter of "The Assistant" shows us that having Garner give a monotone performance with many shots just on her face thinking. They both show us quickly how low on the ladder a woman is and how she is treated or ignored by all including other women and men who have the same position she has. What is to come is shown in the early scenes as Garner cleans her boss's couch and finds an earring.

The film is 81 minutes filled with a lot of unnecessary and repetitious scenes which if eliminated would have made a stronger film or allowed more time for 2 scenes, with one being passed over far too quickly, which are important to the movement.

Though I can't/won't/don't recommend "The Assistant" I am a hopeful person and I hope the next 9 movies I see should only be seen for the first time in a theatre on the large movie screen!… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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4

ManganMay 3, 2020

This film was essentially a fairly dry series of carefully constructed and didactic scenes spelling out topical and well publicised abuses of power, amounting to very little by the time the curtain came down.

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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3

Brent_MarchantFeb 9, 2021

This tale of an entry-level movie company production assistant who's witness to questionable behavior by her boss and considers blowing the whistle fizzles when it should sizzle. The message may be important, and Julia Garner's leadThis tale of an entry-level movie company production assistant who's witness to questionable behavior by her boss and considers blowing the whistle fizzles when it should sizzle. The message may be important, and Julia Garner's lead performance may be reasonably compelling, but the film itself leaves much to be desired. Instead of offering new insight into a troubling industry problem (and any semblance of hope for the future), writer-director Kitty Green's debut narrative feature stretches credibility by presenting an allegedly savvy protagonist who displays an astoundingly unbelievable degree of naivete. What's more, the supposedly "nuanced" evidence of the transgressions is so painfully obvious that any attempt at subtlety is obliterated. On top of all this, the film's glacial pacing and inclusion of far too much extraneous padding makes this an excruciatingly slow watch, even with its scant 1:27:00 runtime. This multiple Independent Spirit Award nominee has been vastly oversold in its restatement of the obvious with no adequate remedies for addressing its core issue. Watch "Bombshell" (2019) instead.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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1

rikrikAug 25, 2020

Ms Garner was incredible with what little she had to work with. Yawn, I want my time back.

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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4

michaelc1024Aug 1, 2020

I was hoping for this really good entertaining movie and I didn’t like it one bit.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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2

DrewvelloJan 7, 2021

Plays it safe. Adds nothing to a serious current event. Trailer is misleading.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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8

dpromanoFeb 16, 2022

Anxiety inducing and riveting. Julia Garner is a special talent. The only drawback was the sound editing. Dialogue was difficult to decipher.