A Movie and A Blanket

 

Sometimes that's all you need on a winter's night.   Or a movie that actually doubles as a warm blanket.   That's sort of what "The Tender Bar" is.   A nice, comfortable story that relaxes you.

It appears that a movie trend these days is for filmmakers to tell stories that are effectively memoirs.   You had that with "Belfast" and "The Hand of God."   Well, in this one, the director is George Clooney but it's not his life that is being unveiled on screen.  Nope, it's journalist JR Moehringer who is somebody I had never heard of.   I learn that he's a well known newspaper writer and even competed for the Pulitzer Prize at one point.  Regardless, we meet him here at a very young age in the early 70s and then subsequently follow him right into his early writing career.

Indeed, young JR is the product of a broken home.  Mom is a single parent and Dad is missing.  Oh, JR knows where he is.   The guy is a radio announcer.  But, he's also a bit of a druggie and certainly no father.  The kid is actually starved for a role model and his bartending Uncle Charlie comes in, played by Ben Affleck in one of his better acting gigs.   The uncle fills the bill for JR and teaches him all about growing up in Manhasset, Long Island.   

"The Tender Bar" is a quiet movie, even with a rousing and wonderful 70s soundtrack.   Not much happens, but then a lot happens.   You follow JR from boyhood to manhood to careerhood.  All along the way, Charlie's tutelage comes into play as JR's character and personality evolves.   Clooney succeeds as a director as he never allows the film to get too schmaltzy or heavy-handed.  Granted that the title of the movie is the title of the memoir authored by the real writer.   There is a feeling of true authenticity that makes the film work on multiple levels.    

Yes, there is a little heartache.   And, yes, you know you will meet the louse of a dad.   But, it still feels real when you experience it.   As films go, "The Tender Bar" is not going to be a film you will remember years from now, let alone the end of the year.   But there are much worse choices to see and the timing of its release in theaters and on Amazon Prime is perfect.

I mean, who doesn't like a nice blanket these days and nights?

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Leftover lasagna.