The Tender Bar

Co-produced by Big Indie Pictures – an appropriate name for the production company. The Tender Bar goes big with its cast and indie subject, as well as with its modest feel-good rendering. School of life: the joy of a dream education, disappointment in love and in one’s own father. Our personalities – and our path to adulthood – are formed by both good and bad. One of Ben Affleck’s best acting performance, the reliable Tye Sheridan, Clooney’s voiceover and an enjoyable oldies soundtrack. (17/03/2024)

Having been a uncle for 35 years and a great-uncle for about 4, the character of Ben Affleck resonated with me and was terribly likeable, both in the way he behaves and how Ben plays him. Welcoming, easy-going, wise, like the whole movie, it totally stroked my troubled soul. Moreover, the beautiful friendly community of regulars in the bar is something we can only envy in today's unfortunate covid era. And if anyone keeps telling me that Ben Affleck is a bad actor, they're a moron, and I’d suggest they buy some drops for the fog in their eyes. (08/01/2022)

A natural and all-around inspiring creative walk down the road to the American Dream. A story originally centered more on the period backdrop of the 1970s and the typically simple yet heart-filling lifestyle of one simple American family. There is power in simplicity. Hold doors, be good to your mother, have some stashies in your wallet, and own a fucking car. (10/04/2022)

Something like this has been missing from my current viewing repertoire for a long time. A pleasant intimate story set between the 1970s and 1990s, this is another appealing contribution to the coming-of-age genre. The narrative itself can feel somewhat sterile at times, as we've seen all the motifs done better or worse many times before, but that in itself is no barrier to a good experience. Moreover, Ben Affleck gives a civil performance, in the best sense of the word, and I definitely won't mind if he sticks to similar roles in the future. [60%] (07/02/2022)