The Tender Bar
Starring: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, Max Martini, Briana Middleton, Rhenzy Feliz, Max Casella, Sondra James, Ron Livingston (voice)
Directed by: George Clooney
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An aspiring writer (Tye Sheridan) grows up in a fractured family, but finds direction from his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck).

Review:

Tim: I often forget how good of a director George Clooney can be. I think I tend to get stuck on his movies that I didn't like much- The Monuments Men and Suburbicon feel like failures to me. However, I need to remember how great Good Night, and Good Luck. and The Ides of March are. The Tender Bar doesn't quite make it to that upper echelon, but it's an absolutely wonderful film, Clooney's third best after those two. He directs this movie with great confidence, letting the story and the characters take center stage. This was a very enjoyable film.

Coming-of-age stories have been done many times before, but it felt fresh and unique here. The protagonist is a bit older than we usually see, but his family situation is tenuous. He's clearly intelligent and in need some direction. How this all plays out on screen is oftentimes beautiful. The movie has thought provoking moments and you really connect with the characters. It's a wonderful story about family and it reminds you of how influential your family is. Young people need guidance and role models and that comes to life in this film.

The cast is superb. I'm a big Tye Sheridan fan and I think he will have a long and successful career ahead of him. He's excellent as JR. He conveys a good amount of emotion, comes across as intelligent, and is relatable. His performance never feels forced and the introspective moments seem as loud as the externally facing ones. Sheridan was critical to this film's success and he's a big reason the movie is so good. Lily Rabe was decent as his mom. I've seen her in a few films but she never made any impression on me. I could probably say similar things about her performance here. It's fine, it's serviceable and it works. However, it's not especially memorable. This hurts the movie a bit. It's such a male-dominated film, we desperately needed strong performances from the few women characters. Rabe needed to be better (or cast differently). I thought Briana Middleton did a good job, but her role is minimal. I did enjoy seeing Christopher Lloyd here. He's mostly in the background except for one sequence, which is one of the better of the film. Max Martini gave a strong performance as well. He doesn't have a lot of screen time, but you remember him clearly.

I wanted to save Ben Affleck for last. Affleck often gets a bad rap, but I truly think he's one of the more underrated actors working together. He's a marvel here. What he does with this character is astounding and if it was up to me, I'd see he gets an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He brings so much humor, heart, and humanity to this role. He's gruff and prickly but has a heart of gold. The best parts of the film are watching as Uncle Charlie guides and influences young JR's life. You vividly see the impact a caring, present adult can have on the life of a child. It's nothing short of beautiful. Affleck has given many strong performances throughout his career and the work he does here is among the best. He is really the heart of the movie in so many ways, the thing that you find yourself thinking about after finishing it. I loved his performance and it further illustrates what a talent he is.

Now, while I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I don't quite think it reaches greatness. It meanders a bit towards the back half of the middle. It plays with ideas about literature, art, and life. It shares some ideas, but Clooney can never really land a knockout blow with any of it. The movie needed a really powerful punch- a lasting scene or line that sums up what the movie is about. It kind of circles around many of these but never really drives the point home. It's emotional, but doesn't deliver the hit that pierces your heart.

I won't spend too much time on that, though. The Tender Bar is an exceptionally well made movie and I film I thoroughly enjoyed. It's an absolute win for all involved. It might not be an instant classic, but it's an eminently watchable film, a movie I would unhesitatingly recommend to anyone. In short, it's a major success.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Goodnight, and Good Luck., Good Will Hunting, The Way Back