The Tender Bar isn’t a typical slice of life/coming-of-age film. It doesn’t try to emotionally manipulate its audience with shocking character deaths or overly saccharine moments where two people find common ground. Rather, it’s an adaptation of a memoir that merely looks to highlight that, at one time, people could be flawed but still inherently good. That a place like a bar was as much about comradery and, strangely, family than it was about indulging one’s vices.
Based on J.R. Moehringer’s memoir of the same name, The Tender Bar highlights the formative years of J.R. from late grade school through to college graduate and early post-grad work. J.R. and his mother (Lily Rabe) move back to Long Island to live with his grandfather (Christopher Lloyd), grandmother (Sondra James), and Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck). Following separation from J.R.’s neglectful, abusive, and alcoholic father (Max Martini), the mom sees returning home as a defeat but young J.R. (Daniel Rieri) sees it as a new adventure.
While many of the figures in J.R.’s life could be considered stereotypical – the cool uncle, the curmudgeonly grandpa, the overprotective mother – The Tender Bar never plays up those qualities. Affleck’s Charlie establishes a set of rules for J.R. that are as much about personal success as they are integral for building relationships. He’s as foul-mouthed as they come and unafraid from swearing around J.R. but there is a wholesome side to him that cuts through.
The Tender Bar’s greatest strength is its cast, who can portray a sense of morally good without being cookie-cutter. The grandpa character, for example, gripes about having his kids under his roof, never passes up a chance to pass gas, but still cares for his family under it all. “Don’t let anyone know you have a good grandpa,” he tells J.R. after filling in for his father at a school event.
From Ben Affleck to Lily Rabe to newcomer Daniel Rieri, everyone brings a likeability to their character tucked under a little bit of vulnerability. George Clooney’s work as a director seems minimal in the general sense, but it’s clear that he worked closely with the actors to ensure the performances are authentic but also heartfelt. There is a lived-in fill to the world of The Tender Bar, which partly comes from the source material but is reinforced by the cast.
It’s fascinating to step back in time with Rieri’s young JR and experience New York in the late 70s but when the film jumps forward it lacks the same spark. The Tender Bar tries to hit on all of the life events that influenced Moehringer as a writer but it juggles a lot of different plot points to the detriment of some. The family dynamic is its strongest but a subplot involving JR’s first love, Sidney (Brianna Middleton), struggles to mesh with the overarching themes.
As well, JR’s relationship with his absentee father is the closest thing to formulaic that the film has to offer. The Tender Bar navigates the progression of JR’s feelings about his father in a realistic way, and it never seeks to redeem him, but in the end it feels a bit too on the nose.
Despite some narrative hiccups, The Tender Bar is still a heartfelt coming of age story that is joyful and wholesome. It never tries to dramatize the moment and roots its characters in a time and a place that feels authentic to the environment. The cast is all stellar and Clooney gets a lot out of his actors, especially Rieri. Those looking for a cinematic reminder that there is still a lot of good in the world shouldn’t overlook this one.
The Tender Bar is available now on Amazon Prime.
The Tender Bar
The Tender Bar is a coming-of-age drama based on J. R. Moehringer's memoir of the same name. It was adapted by William Monahan and directed by George Clooney, with Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan starring as the movie's two leads. The narrative examines the relationship between JR Maguire and his uncle Charlie after the former's father abandons him during his early childhood.