The Tender Bar is a 2021 coming-of-age drama film directed by Academy Award® Winner George Clooney, and written by Academy Award® Winner William Monahan, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning author J.R. Moehringer's memoir.

It tells the story of J.R., a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.

Starring Academy Award® Winner Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Christopher Lloyd, and Lily Rabe.

The Tender Bar made its debut in select theaters on December 17th, 2021, and on Prime Video on January 7th, 2022.

THE GOOD

If you know me, you know I LOVE me a good coming-of-age film. I mean, if it has coming-of-age in the synopsis, I will give it a watch. I actually spend substantial amounts of time researching the best coming-of-age books to be turned into movies just so I can read the book and then watch the movie. I wish I was kidding. So this brings me to my review at hand, which is on The Tender Bar, a drama film with a sprinkling of comedy based on J.R. Moehringer's memoir. Did it scratch my coming-of-age itch or was it just another forgettable run-of-the-mill drama? Keep reading to find out!

I really enjoyed The Tender Bar from start to finish and felt like the film itself did a fantastic job translating J.R. Moehringer's memoir to the screen. The film had heart and told a story that mattered as we watched this extremely intelligent kid grow up without a father. Instead of letting that be the excuse for why he never did anything with his life he gravitated towards his uncle who provided guidance that would shape him into the man he would become. I really loved the sense of family and community within the bar which to me showed how important human connection is and the fact that sometimes people who are not blood relatives can still become family.

The combination of the screenplay and the acting was the primary reason why The Tender Bar worked so well, with the casting decisions being paramount to it’s success. I am a huge fan of Ben Affleck for obvious reasons, but I have liked Tye Sheridan as an actor ever since he broke out in the indie coming-of-age drama Mud back in 2012. If you have yet to see it, I highly recommend checking it out. Sheridan takes on the titular role of JR, with Affleck playing Uncle Charlie. The chemistry between the two carried the film in my opinion, and Uncle Charlie’s no BS and down to earth personality was infectious.

The bond he shared with the men at the bar will make you wish you had better friends, or at least genuine friends like they had back in the day. These men also acted as extended Uncle’s to JR in a way as he spent so much time with them. I really liked Lily Rabe and thought she delivered a very convincing role. Daniel Ranieri was fantastic as younger JR and definitely made an impression. Plus who doesn’t love Christopher Lloyd, who was fantastic in a supporting role as JR’s no nonsense grandfather.

The Tender Bar may not light the world on fire with it’s technical elements but I still thought we had plenty to love here. The ability to get viewers into the time period is huge for a film like this to work, and I thought they did a fantastic job with that. George Clooney did a heck of a job behind the camera, serving up a ton of purposeful shots that resonated with viewers. I thought cinematographer Martin Ruhe did a really nice job as well bringing early 70’s Long Island to life. The bar called The Dickens, a play on words for author Charles Dickens, felt like the sort of place you wanted to spend all of your time. I mean sure it would likely mean you were an alcoholic, but still definitely worth it. And the early 70’s era cars parked out front, what a time to be alive. Dara Taylor did a really nice job to round things out with a great soundtrack as well.

THE BAD

The Tender Bar is a great all-around film but it’s not without its fair share of flaws. The good undoubtedly outweighs the bad, but it still suffers from some of the same issues we get when a book translates to the screen. Because this is based on an autobiography, at times things feel like they are dragging a bit more than they should, or perhaps they decided to include certain things and leave others out that hurt the overall impact of the film in the end. But like I said none of these issues deliver crushing blows to the final product, just worth pointing out.

THE VERDICT

A sweet and authentic coming-of-age story that explores the complicated social class hierarchy in a unique and constructive way, The Tender Bar is equal parts enjoyable and introspective and is absolutely worth a watch. As I talked about in the review I very much enjoyed this film, and not just because I am a sucker for a good coming-of-age movie. I loved the time period as well which was the icing on the cake for me, and Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan have an unmatched chemistry on-screen. While it’s not perfect and does suffer from pacing issues at times, it is a still a film director George Clooney can be proud of and one I absolutely recommend checking out.