The Tender Bar (film)

The Tender Bar is a 2021 American coming-of-age film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay by William Monahan. Adapted from the 2005 memoir of the same name by J. R. Moehringer, it recounts Moehringer's life growing up on Long Island. It stars Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd. It was the final film appearance of Sondra James before her death in September 2021.

The Tender Bar
Official release poster
Directed byGeorge Clooney
Screenplay byWilliam Monahan
Based onThe Tender Bar
by J. R. Moehringer
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byRon Livingston
CinematographyMartin Ruhe
Edited byTanya M. Swerling
Music byDara Taylor[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Studios
Release dates
  • October 10, 2021 (2021-10-10) (LFF)
  • December 17, 2021 (2021-12-17) (United States)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It received a limited release on December 17, 2021 by Amazon Studios; then was widely released on December 22, prior to its streaming debut on Prime Video on January 7, 2022. It received mixed reviews, though Affleck was nominated for the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance.

Plot

In 1973, nine-year-old JR Maguire and his mother Dorothy move back in with her parents on Long Island. Abandoned by his deadbeat father Johnny, a radio DJ known as "the Voice", JR grows up with his mother's working class family. He finds a surrogate father in his uncle Charlie, the owner of a local bar, "The Dickens".[2]

JR often listens to the Voice on the radio, and Johnny calls with plans to take him to a baseball game, but fails to show up and later flees the state. Imparting life lessons to JR, Charlie shares his love of reading and encourages him to become a writer, while Dorothy is determined that her son will have the college education she never had. Though her own well-educated father never made anything of his life, she insists that JR will one day attend Harvard or Yale and become a lawyer.

Johnny makes a brief visit, beating up Charlie when he heckles him for his absence in JR's life. Confronting a school psychologist for exploiting JR to hit on Dorothy, Charlie is impressed by his nephew's writing. JR's grandfather accompanies him to a father-and-son breakfast, and explains that Dorothy is having her cancerous thyroid removed. She recovers, and JR's knack for word puzzles earns him a spot in Charlie and his friends' bowling league.

As a teenager, JR has an interview at Yale and meets a priest on the train to New Haven. He is admitted to the university, to his family's delight, and later brings his roommates home to meet Charlie, having their first of-age drinks at The Dickens. JR strikes up a romance with his classmate Sidney, who brings him home to Westport, Connecticut. After sneaking him up to her room for the night, she reveals that she is seeing someone else, leading to an uncomfortable breakfast with her "lower-upper-middle class" parents before he departs.

Continuing his studies, JR encounters the same priest on the train, and is unsuccessful in winning Sidney back. Graduating in 1986, he receives one of his father's sporadic phone calls. JR presents his mother with a class ring, but disappoints her by eschewing law school and moving home to work on his novel. Ignoring his friend Wesley's advice, he continues to pursue Sidney with guidance from Charlie, and is hired as a trainee at The New York Times.

Learning that Sidney has married her college boyfriend, JR is let go from the Times. Charlie is briefly hospitalized, and encourages JR to incorporate his recent setbacks into his novel. On Charlie's advice, JR finds his father in North Carolina, but realizes that he remains an abusive alcoholic. Johnny assaults his girlfriend and JR has him arrested, finally standing up to his father.

Returning home, where his mother has found a new job, JR moves to Manhattan, but not before Charlie gives him his car. Charlie and his drinking buddies see his nephew off, and JR is determined to prove himself as a writer. During the credits, young JR spends a day at the beach with Charlie and his friends.

Cast

Production

The project initially began development in 2013 at Sony Pictures and Chernin Entertainment, with Ted Melfi set as writer and director.[3] Upon his exit, Sony placed the project into turnaround, with Amazon Studios picking up the rights in July 2020. George Clooney entered negotiations to direct the film from a screenplay by William Monahan. Clooney was also attached to produce the film alongside his Smokehouse Pictures producing partner Grant Heslov. Ted Hope was also announced as a producer under his first-look deal at Amazon Studios.[4]

Clooney was confirmed as director in December 2020, with Ben Affleck entering negotiations to star.[5] Affleck's role was confirmed in February 2021, along with the casting of Tye Sheridan and Lily Rabe as the leads.[6][7] In March 2021, Christopher Lloyd, Sondra James, Max Martini, Michael Braun, Matthew Delamater, Max Casella, Rhenzy Feliz, Ivan Leung, Briana Middleton, and Daniel Ranieri joined the cast.[8]

Principal photography began on February 22, 2021 at various locations in Eastern Massachusetts, and concluded on April 14.[9][10] Filming sites included the Belvidere neighborhood of Lowell; Downtown Beverly Massachusetts; the Granite Park neighborhood of Braintree; and a vacant restaurant building at South Shore Plaza, also in Braintree.

Release

The film premiered at the London Film Festival on October 10, 2021.[11] It had a limited theatrical release on December 17, 2021, prior to streaming on Prime Video on January 7, 2022.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 51% of 186 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "It's well-acted and suffused with a warm nostalgic glow, but none of that is enough to overcome The Tender Bar's sleepy, sentimental noodling."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "It’s not the kind of movie that will knock you out, but it won’t leave you with a headache and a dry mouth, either. It’s a generous pour and a mellow buzz."[15] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "If it struggles to find a rhythm, especially in the early going, there’s no question that it sends you off on a gentle high."[11]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2021 St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards Best Soundtrack The Tender Bar Nominated [16]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actor Ben Affleck Nominated [17]
2022 Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated [18][19]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated [20]

References
  1. "Dara Taylor Scoring George Clooney's 'The Tender Bar'". Film Music Reporter. October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  2. Menta, Anna (January 7, 2022). "'The Tender Bar' True Story: What to Know About J.R. Moehringer and the Real Bar He Wrote About". Decider. Retrieved January 10, 2022. The Tender Bar script is based on the best-selling 2005 memoir of the same name by J. R. Moehringer, which tells the true story of Moehringer's childhood growing up in Long Island, New York in the 1970s and '80s.
  3. Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 6, 2013). "Sony, Ted Melfi Teaming On Adaptation Of J.R. Moehringer Memoir 'The Tender Bar'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. Kroll, Justin (July 24, 2020). "George Clooney To Direct Adaptation Of 'The Tender Bar' For Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. Kroll, Justin (December 9, 2020). "Ben Affleck Eyed To Star in Amazon And George Clooney's 'Tender Bar' Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  6. Kit, Borys (February 10, 2021). "Tye Sheridan Joins Ben Affleck in George Clooney's 'Tender Bar' for Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  7. Kit, Borys (February 16, 2021). "Lily Rabe Joins Ben Affleck in George Clooney's 'Tender Bar' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  8. Ramos, Dino-Ray (March 2, 2021). "George Clooney's 'The Tender Bar' Rounds Out Cast, Amazon Studios Adaptation Of J.R. Moehringer Memoir Starts Production". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  9. Slane, Kevin (February 12, 2021). "George Clooney is filming a new movie in Boston, and Bend Affleck will reportedly join him". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  10. Barbuto, Dana (April 14, 2021). "Movie cameras roll in Braintree for George Clooney's 'The Tender Bar'". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  11. Linden, Sheri (October 10, 2021). "Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan in George Clooney's 'The Tender Bar': Film Review | BFI London 2021". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. Davis, Edward (September 22, 2021). "First Look: George Clooney's 'The Tender Bar' With Ben Affleck Hits Theaters In December Before Prime Video 2 Weeks Later". The Playlist. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  13. "The Tender Bar". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  14. "The Tender Bar". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  15. Scott, A. O. (December 15, 2021). "'The Tender Bar' Review: Where Everybody Knows His Name". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  16. Neglia, Matt (December 19, 2021). "The 2021 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  17. Jorgenson, Todd (December 20, 2021). "DFW FILM CRITICS NAME 'POWER OF THE DOG' BEST FILM OF 2021". DFWFCA. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  18. Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (December 13, 2021). "Golden Globes 2022: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  19. Hipes, Patrick (January 9, 2022). "Golden Globes: The Power Of The Dog, West Side Story, Succession Lead Way – Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  20. Hipes, Patrick (January 12, 2022). "SAG Awards Nominations: 'House Of Gucci', 'Power Of The Dog', 'Succession', 'Ted Lasso' Top Lists". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
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