Review: 'The Tender Bar' serves a heavy pour of nostalgia, but Ben Affleck's performance as a favorite uncle is delightful
The nostalgic drama “The Tender Bar” follows the familiar pattern of memoir: Of someone remembering their childhood, and the most interesting person in it. Thankfully, director George Clooney and screenwriter William Monahan (an Oscar winner for “The Departed”) know how to deploy that person quite well.
The movie is based on the memoir of J.R. Moehringer, who recalls growing up on Long Island in the 1970s and 1980s. Jr., played as a kid by a charming newcomer named Daniel Ranieri, and his mom (Lily Rabe) relocate there to move back in with Mom’s parents (Christopher Lloyd and Sondra James) — because Jr.’s deadbeat dad (Max Martini), known as The Voice because of his work as a radio DJ, has flaked on them once again. (There’s an explanation of how Jr., for “Junior,” as he’s named for his dad, becomes “J.R.”)
The memorable character who becomes Jr.’s father figure is his mom’s brother, Uncle Charlie — played by Ben Affleck. Charlie tends bar at The Dickens, a neighborhood dive with an unusual number of books, all of which Charlie has read, though he never went to college. Charlie gives Jr. his education through those books, and the life lessons he picks up from the bar’s regulars.
In the movie’s second half, Jr. (played by Tye Sheridan) is heading to college, and applying what he’s learned at The Dickens. He knows he wants to be a writer, a novelist — though he’ll resort to journalism if necessary. The other area where Charlie’s advice comes into play is in romance, particularly in an on-again, off-again relationship with a classmate, Sidney (Briana Middleton).
Monahan’s script overloads on the sentimentality, and Clooney’s direction follows down the same path of vintage cars and classic tunes. Neither is helped by the fact that Moehringer’s reminiscences are more interesting in his younger days, recalling Charlie and the bar, than in his college period.
Affleck, giving the second strong supporting performance of the year (the earlier one was in “The Last Duel”), creates the uncle and the bartender we all wish we had: Good-natured, supportive, street-smart and free of judgment. Affleck brings a toughness to “The Tender Bar,” but also a warmth that comes with being part of the family.
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‘The Tender Bar’
★★★
Opens Friday, December 17, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (Salt Lake City); available for streaming January 7 on Prime. Rated R for language throughout and some sexual content. Running time: 106 minutes.