The Assistant (1997)
1h 56m
Running Time
January 1, 1997Release Date
Plot.
Daniel Petrie scripted and directed this Canadian-British film, an adaptation of the memorable 1957 Brooklyn-based novel by Brooklyn-born Bernard Malamud, author of The Natural. During the Depression, drifter Frank Alpine (Gil Bellows) and hobo Ward Minogue (Jaimz Woolvett) rob the small Bober family grocery. Minogue attacks frail Morris Bober (Armin Mueller-Stahl) because he has little money. Later, guilt sends Alpine back to the store, where he goes unrecognized and is hired by Bober as an assistant, despite the objections of Ida Bober (Joan Plowright). While Frank works the store, receiving miniscule wages, he falls for Bober's daughter, Helen (Kate Greenhouse), and Morris eventually learns who Frank really is.
Where to Watch.
No streaming offers found
Details.
Release DateJanuary 1, 1997
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 56m
Wiki.
The Assistant is a 1998 drama film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Gil Bellows, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Joan Plowright, and Kate Greenhouse. It is based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Bernard Malamud and was also the final theatrical film directed by Petrie before his death in 2004. It follows a young man who finds work at a shop at the turn-of-the-century, and falls in love with the owner's daughter, inflaming deeply religious origins. Filming took place in Toronto.