"The Tender Bar" is a coming-of-age film that unfolds the joys and the heartbreaks in the formation of young J. R., the protagonist in this well-produced and well-acted memoir.
J. R.'s father left his mom and took a job as a DJ, never fulfilling his basic responsibilities as a dad. It was ironic that so many of the characters urged J. R. reconnect with his father. But there never seemed to be a vacuum in J. R.'s life, as he had such a strong paternal influence from his Uncle Charley. As J. R. prepares to write his memoir, the father will surely play a minor role.
One of the most intriguing yet problematic relationships in the film was J. R.'s connection to Sidney, his classmate in the world literature course at Yale. The unusual cruelty of Sidney in her rejection of him on the day after she invited him to her Westport home was never explained in the film. The impact of her fickleness could be greater on the young man than the influence of the deadbeat dad.
The major strength of the film was in the outstanding performances and in the character development of J. R. The two actors playing the child and the young adult were terrific. Another strong influence on J. R.'s life was his sensitive mother. While damaged from her failed marriage, she teams with her brother Charley to shape his character with decent values.
It is unclear whether J. R. will ever become a successful writer. But due to the positive family influences of the mother, uncle, and grandfather, J. R. has something that supersedes an education at Yale or a job with The New York Times. Due to the nurturing environment in which he was raised, he is a genuinely fine person.
J. R.'s father left his mom and took a job as a DJ, never fulfilling his basic responsibilities as a dad. It was ironic that so many of the characters urged J. R. reconnect with his father. But there never seemed to be a vacuum in J. R.'s life, as he had such a strong paternal influence from his Uncle Charley. As J. R. prepares to write his memoir, the father will surely play a minor role.
One of the most intriguing yet problematic relationships in the film was J. R.'s connection to Sidney, his classmate in the world literature course at Yale. The unusual cruelty of Sidney in her rejection of him on the day after she invited him to her Westport home was never explained in the film. The impact of her fickleness could be greater on the young man than the influence of the deadbeat dad.
The major strength of the film was in the outstanding performances and in the character development of J. R. The two actors playing the child and the young adult were terrific. Another strong influence on J. R.'s life was his sensitive mother. While damaged from her failed marriage, she teams with her brother Charley to shape his character with decent values.
It is unclear whether J. R. will ever become a successful writer. But due to the positive family influences of the mother, uncle, and grandfather, J. R. has something that supersedes an education at Yale or a job with The New York Times. Due to the nurturing environment in which he was raised, he is a genuinely fine person.