The Tender Bar

“The Tender Bar” was officially released in theaters in 2021 (same year James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad came out) and digitally on Amazon Prime in early 2022. It received positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Ben Affleck earned a “Best Supporting Actor” nomination at The Golden Globes & Screen Actors Guild or SAG for short. Speaking of which, the upcoming 28th SAG Awards will air simultaneously on TBS & TNT. Don’t forget to mark your calendars on February 27th.

Besides prepping up for The 28th SAG Awards, Ben Affleck will reprise his role as Batman one last time in the upcoming DC film “The Flash” with Michael Keaton coming back as Tim Burton’s Batman expanding the DC Extended Universe’s concept of the multiverse competing with the Marvel Cinematic Universe like “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

This review contains no SPOILERS. If you haven’t seen The Tender Bar, feel free to view my non-spoiler article. Keep in mind folks, this article is definitely a short one. It’s not a three hour plus epic like “The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy” or a complex mystery thriller as in “Memento.” Just a short stakes movie. Is The Tender Bar enjoyable? Let’s find out, shall we?

Positive & Negative Elements

Positive: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan & Daniel Ranieri all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.

Other Cast Members such as Lily Rabe & Christopher Lloyd both did a good job for their respective performances.

Ron Livingston (Office Space) narrates as an older version of J.R.

George Clooney did a decent job directing. He also produced the film with business partner Grant Heslov courtesy of their production company, Smokehouse Pictures.

William Monaghan (The Departed, Kingdom Of Heaven, Body Of Lies) wrote the screenplay.

Cinematography was shot carefully never having any technical difficulties throughout.

Chemistry between J.R. & Charlie serves as the main highlight. Their close bond moves the story forward. J.R. views Charlie as a father figure with an open mind who encourages his nephew to follow his dreams as a writer.

I’m surprised this film is actually based on a memoir by J.R. Moehringer recounting his childhood and young adulthood spanning from The 70s to 80s.

As he bonds with Charlie, J.R. experiences a series of setbacks. Charlie gives him advice not to give up his hopes and dreams.

Although labeled as a drama, a fart scene made me laugh pretty hard.

Primary Themes are Family, Passion, Identity & Fatherhood. Each one is handled maturely.

Negative: I couldn’t find nothing wrong. I’m giving The Cast & Crew an Extra Point for making a flawless film as possible.

The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!

Despite mixed reviews, I really enjoyed The Tender Bar from start to finish. If you have nothing to do over the week, give this one a try. I can’t wait to see Ben Affleck’s last hurrah as Batman in The Flash. He did an awesome job in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.”