[4] Described as a gay Harold and Maude,[2] the film follows Lake, a young man who takes a job in a nursing home and develops a romantic and sexual attraction to Mr. Peabody, an elderly resident in the facility.

[5] Lake is an 18-year-old closeted homosexual college student who discovers that he has a romantic attraction to elderly men even though he is already in a relationship with his girlfriend Désirée.

Bruce LaBruce intended to give Gerontophilia a 1970s atmosphere by shooting the film with an ARRI Alexa whilst using some Zeiss prime lenses from the era.

The website's consensus reads, "Gerontophilia's handful of intriguing ideas are let down by tame execution and unconvincing acting that make the movie's premise feel creepy rather than original.

"[9] Rakesh Ramchurn of The Independent commented, "It is rare that I would salute a predominantly underground director's move towards mainstream filmmaking, but by toning down the sex and nudity of his previous works, LaBruce has made a film that I hope will be enjoyed by wide audiences in the months to come.