The Tender Bar (2021)

The Tender Bar review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

The Tender Bar is a drama where you can almost feel it having something to say. It starts off nostalgic and builds into a reflection of coming into adulthood with aspirations of writing and manhood. Yet it’s a film that becomes so lost in the thick of its own nostalgic world that it forgets to inject some character. The final result is a film with some fine performances and a freewheeling air of yesteryear but not much more than that.

Based on the memoir of the same title by J. R. Moehringer, the film follows the life of JR growing up on Long Island. In the 1970s, he was nine years old and found himself fascinated with writing. He takes up this interest as his recently divorced mother (Lily Rabe) moves back in with her parents and JR attempts to adjust to life with grandparents in the house. Also present in town is his uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), a local bar owner. Charlie takes on the duties of a father by teaching JR everything he knows about life through running a bar. He informs on how to treat customers, how to read them, and how to best pursue writing. Despite Charlie’s recluse nature, there are some wise truths in his bar banter.

JR grows up into his twenties, played by Tye Sheridan. With such commitment, he’s bound for college, a prospect that his mother was greatly hoping for. That being said, his devotion to going off to greater things may sour his relationship with Charlie, considering that JR’s mother was more hoping for a lawyer than a writer. The young man finds himself conflicted about his pursuits after being molded by people who saw one thing in him. It builds to a crucial moment of the boy trying to find himself and make the tough call for his future profession.

In bits and pieces, there are parts of The Tender Bar that work rather well. I absolutely loved Affleck’s performance as the bar owner, exuding ease of charm and wisdom. It’s the simple moments of reflection that work best, present in everything from JR being distant from the problems of his mother to enjoying the cantankerous nature of his grandfather played by Christopher Lloyd. There are some small moments of joy that come about with this meandering nature.

Yet the film loses its way by the time it gets to the second act and tries to find something to do with teenage JR before he transitions into being a writer. Not a lot is explored in this section. True, there is a certain fascination in watching a struggling kid try to write a book and being conflicted about getting it just right amid family squabbles. Still, the film still feels as though it’s ambling about a handful of memories rather than being together into an engaging narrative.

The Tender Bar feels almost like an actor’s showreel than a cohesive memoir. Perhaps it’s just that JR’s life was far more fun to read than it is to see diced up into a movie. Many novels are like that where they meander around with a handful of stories that are intriguing to take in as small essays. Bunched up together in this picture, we’re only left with a sentimental picture that is more admirable for the tone than the contemplation. In the same way that JR struggles to write a great story, this film struggles to be anything more than a mildly alluring retro melodrama.