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User Reviews for: The Tender Bar

JPRetana
/10  2 years ago
This film, written by William Monahan and directed by George Clooney on autopilot is yet another shallow glimpse into the formative years of an wannabe writer. This is hardly virgin territory, having already been thoroughly covered by the likes of Unstrung Heroes, Almost Famous, and Neil Simon’s ‘Eugene Trilogy’, to mention but a few examples.

J.R. Maguire (Daniel Ranieri, Tye Sheridan), based on American novelist and journalist J. R. Moehringer, grows up in an eccentric family straight from Central Casting — we have the long-suffering single mother, the deadbeat dad, the curmudgeonly grandfather with a secret heart of gold, and the cool uncle who doubles as a father figure. The only thing, and it’s nothing to sneeze at, that The Tender Bar has going for it is that the grandfather and uncle are played by Christopher Lloyd Ben Affleck.

“When you’re 11, you want an Uncle Charlie,” says J.R. I can’t disagree, especially considering that Uncle Charlie owns The Dickens Bar, its shelves filled with booze and books. Now, this and no other is the movie they should have made: one wherein Ben Affleck is a self-taught philosopher barman who doles out drinks and folk wisdom in equal parts, and Christopher Lloyd is his best customer.

Unfortunately what we have here is such hackneyed material that Affleck’s and Lloyd’s combined efforts can hardly raise it above the commonplace (how’s this for a cliché: to illustrate the fickleness of J.R.’S stereotypically unattainable romantic interest, the soundtrack breaks into into Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”), whence it crumbles back whenever they’re off-screen.

It doesn’t help either that the potential shown by Sheridan in Mud and Joe apparently didn’t survive the actor’s puberty. In these two films Sheridan could boast of going toe-to-toe with Matthew McConaughey and Nic Cage; here Affleck acts circles around him.

Worst of all, we hear from a number of people how good a writer J.R. is, but we’re never given any concrete reason for that — only platitudes, such as invoking some ineffable je ne sais quoi or just unilaterally deciding that “You are a writer the moment you say you are.” What he fails to realize is that talking business and meaning business are two very different things.
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CinemaSerf
/10  2 years ago
It's not often I find myself writing this, but Ben Affleck is comfortably the best thing about this otherwise rather lacklustre adaptation of JR Moehringer's autobiographical coming of age tale. It depicts the story of his childhood - through the eyes of the engaging young Daniel Ranieri - before he heads to Yale in the guise of Tye Sheridan. The first half hour, maybe, is quite entertaining. This young lad living with his mother (his selfish father is estranged from them, living the mobile life of a late night radio talk show host) in the home of his mildly eccentric grandfather (Christopher Lloyd) and their home is a lively, buzzing environment in which the youngster thrives. Chief amongst the residents is his charismatic, worldly-wise uncle "Charlie" (Affleck) who runs a local bar populated with a decent, working-class clientele who take to the young man and encourage his obvious academic talents. That half hour peters out, though, and the rest of the film is really a rather uninspiring story of a young man, his "first love", a youth who is looking for some sort of positive male "role model". I find Sheridan a rather sterile actor. Sure, he is pretty, but he doesn't ever stand out with his performances. They are all just a little bit by the numbers, and here is no different. He speak words of passion, but his acting conveys none of that adequately on screen. The soundtrack is left to do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to dialogue, and it feels longer than the 1¾ hours it takes to watch. I am glad I watched it - on a big screen in London with just one other person - but I don't think I would ever bother watching it again.
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SkinnyFilmBuff
CONTAINS SPOILERS8/10  2 years ago
I think slice-of-life films have a disadvantage over those that are structured around more linear and external dramatic narratives. In murder mysteries for example, the plot alone might be enough to keep viewers invested, as they try to anticipate the twists and turns and identify the culprit. On the other hand, in films like _The Tender Bar_, there isn't necessarily an "A leads to B leads to C" plot progression, with many scenes feeling more like independent vignettes than pieces of a whole. As a result, characters and dialogue, rather than plot, have to do the heavy lifting. Luckily, this film knocks it out of the park in both of those areas.


Every character in this film feels real. Of course, it is based on a true story, so naturally you would hope that would be the case, but I've watched enough movies to know that it's easier said than done. The central relationships are unique and well established. Not often do we get to see an uncle/nephew relationship take the center stage. I've always had a soft spot for Ben Affleck, and the unconventional role model character was perfect for him. Child actors are always a risky play, but Daniel Ranieri does a fantastic job as the precocious JR. Christopher Lloyd is the perfect crotchety grandpa with a heart of gold. One of my favorite sequences in the film was when he [spoiler]takes JR to the fathers' and sons' breakfast[/spoiler]. Such a wholesome moment that almost singlehandedly fleshes out an otherwise one note character, giving him virtues to go along with his flaws.

As far as potential critiques go, I don't have too much to say. Narration has always been a tough sell for me, but its use was fairly minimal and it ultimately didn't meaningfully detract. I also thought that the intercutting of scenes with JR on the train to Yale didn't really add much.

Some final positives. The soundtrack is killer. The dialogue is clever. The sets and costumes are stylish. Beyond that, it was thought provoking, uplifting, and just generally a well made film. As one final note, I should acknowledge that I'm probably biased in my enjoyment of this film, as my own writing aspirations gave me a natural connection to JR's story. Despite this acknowledgement, I'm still surprised at the film's less than positive critical reception.
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