Directed By George Clooney

Starring – Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri

The Plot – Junior (Sheridan) seeks a replacement for his father, who disappeared shortly after his birth, and bonds with his uncle Charlie (Affleck) and the patrons at a bar in Long Island. Uncle Charlie works as a bartender there and knows all of the staff and regular patrons. He is a charismatic individual and all of his friends are eager to initiate Jr. into their rituals. Junior listens closely to the stories of these men and relies on these stories for guidance on how to live.

Rated R for adult language throughout, as well as some sexual content

The Tender Bar – Official Trailer | Prime Video – YouTube

POSITIVES

On a biographical front, the real-life memoirs of J.R Moehringer are brought to life earnestly with a balance of insightful narration and tender sentiment toward prescribing a compelling dynamic between uncle and nephew. This is not only where the film prospers the most in its narrative, as a result of the seamless chemistry between Affleck and Sheridan, but also one that plays all the more endearing to the coming-of-age instance for Junior, where more time, patience, and energy was exuded to this singular subplot than anything else in the film. This is made all the more evident with the impact of the performances ranging from good for Sheridan, to great for Affleck, with the latter zeroing in on the magnitude of his on-screen presence in captivity, which serves as the gentle force steering us and Junior in the direction. Charlie is often morally ambiguous with the way he approaches life, but it’s that experience that he unloads towards Junior that is most nourishing, all the while cementing the best turn from Affleck in easily a decade. Beyond this, the visuals from cinematographer Martin Ruhe equally convey insight and meaning towards Junior’s vantage point, especially in the glowing radiance of the lighting between the family’s home and Charlie’s bar, which makes them feel twice as warm and comfortable as any other location the story takes us through. Finally, with the film taking place in the late 70’s and early 80’s respectively, the film takes ample opportunity in channeling the styles and stimulants of the aforementioned age, but never in a way that feels heavy-handed or meandering to the attention and integrity of the product, instead crafting believability in a way that blends seamlessly into the distinct personality of the environment, while sifting through cues that look like they were distinctly lifted from the conditioned age.

NEGATIVES

Unfortunately, “The Tender Bar” is marred by lifeless storytelling from Clooney, who mares the execution in a cloud of incoherence so thick that it often feels like a collection of memories from a periodically awoken coma patient. I say this because the editing is jumpy, primarily in its transitioning of time, which comes at a spontaneous rate of invisible emphasis, where the dialogue has to allude us towards such matters. This also keeps subplots and events from materializing naturally in a way that prescribes each of them the kind of dramatic emphasis needed to warrant their inclusion, often subduing the pacing in an aimless, heft-less fog that never gives us the proper time to attach ourselves towards their influence. Adding to the argument, is the surface level delve with one-dimensional, heavy-handed dialogue so obvious that it often spells out literally everything that is initially presented as profound while in the context of their manifestation. This keeps audiences from ever needing to interpret themes or emotions in a way that endears them to the narrative, but also points out the overwhelming predictability to Junior’s story. For 101 minutes of screen time, I’m not exactly expecting profound measures of thought-provoking cinema, but when the restrictions of the dialogue summarize everything without needing to experience the interaction, it points to a redundancy in structure that continuously tests patience, leaving it feeling artificial when surmised in what is otherwise real people in the context of Junior’s memoirs. In addition to this, the tragedy of a wasted supporting cast rears its ugly head, with Christopher Lloyd, Max Casella, and especially the great Lily Rabe feeling like soulless, directionless drones in a minefield of continuing disappearance. What’s more confounding about these aspects are the movie’s periodic intention to include them into a scene that feels geared for their breakout moments, only to end uneventfully in a way that justifies theirs, or the scene’s arrival to the experience. Finally, and most problematic for the prominence of the film, are the inconsistencies with tonal ambiguity that make for more than a few awkward instances of candid depiction. Most notably, the scenes of dramatic devastation are illustrated with an outlining air of humor so thick that they feel improper to the dynamic of the scene and are made all the more chaotic with the humor in question never feeling confident or creative enough in attaining something even slightly compelling for the deviation.

OVERALL

“The Tender Bar” doesn’t go down as smoothly as the concoctions that satisfy its on-screen patrons. With surprisingly flat direction from Clooney, wasted potential in the magnitude of its talented ensemble, and a complete lack of honesty in the execution of its meaningful sequences, the film proves to be an exercise in futility from a complete lack of intrigue for the indulgence, and one that alludes to the idea that not all real life stories should transcend literature for screen.

My Grade: 5/10 or D+