39 Pounds of Love

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39 Pounds of Love

2005

1h 10m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Ami, a young man with muscular dystrophy given only six years to live and weighing a mere 39 pounds, perseveres despite being immobile except for one finger. At 34 and now a 3-D animator, he takes a cross-country journey of a lifetime to find the doctor responsible for a grim diagnosis decades earlier.

Critics Consensus

39 Pounds of Love is a heart-tugger that often crosses the line between uplifting and sappy.

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Michael Booth

Denver Post

02/24/2006

3/4

It's not quite on the level of Enron, or even other disability-themed nominees such as Murderball. But with a subject like Ami Ankilewitz, nitpicking seems out of the question.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

01/12/2006

So inherently poignant, a conservative approach would have been wise.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

12/10/2005

2.5/4

Stirring, sobering, and manipulative enough to be slightly suspect.

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

05/07/2020

39 Pounds is one of those rare inspirational films that doesn't shrink from the awful truths, not only about Ami's life but life in general.

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Eric Monder

Film Journal International

03/01/2007

If one ignores the excesses, 39 Pounds of Love becomes a road trip worth taking.

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Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone

TheMovieChicks.com

12/14/2005

3/5

This leaves you wanting to know more about Ami, and at the same time feeling a bit cheated that they didn't give you enough.

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11/02/2010

Can bring a tear to a glass eye.

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09/16/2008

Very good documentary. Ami is an inspiration!

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05/08/2008

It's really hard to feel bad for the guy. His animation sucks and he's a total dickhead. The "ending" seemed very forced. I doubt that doctor even cared. Fuck that, i KNOW that doctor didn't care... no one did. F-

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12/09/2006

Extremely boring. Do not bother watching, absolute waste of time.

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05/01/2006

Very touching, very inspirational. Best of all, it's real, baby.

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12/10/2005

Love it or hate it, you'll never forget it. It is a decision that you really need to make for yourself... See it prepared to laugh and don't forget the kleenex... :fresh:

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Dani Menkin

Director

Dani Menkin

Writer

Dani Menkin

Producer

Chris Gubisch

Original Music

Yoav Kleinman

Cinematographer

Geof Bartz

Film Editing

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Synopsis

Ami, a young man with muscular dystrophy given only six years to live and weighing a mere 39 pounds, perseveres despite being immobile except for one finger. At 34 and now a 3-D animator, he takes a cross-country journey of a lifetime to find the doctor responsible for a grim diagnosis decades earlier.

Director: Dani Menkin
Producer: Dani Menkin
Screenwriter: Dani Menkin
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 9, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.1K
Runtime: 1h 10m