Synopsis
JR is a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — JR begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams, with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar.
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Cast
- Ben AffleckCharlie Maguire
- Tye SheridanJR Maguire
- Daniel RanieriYoung JR Maguire
- Lily RabeDorothy Maguire
- Christopher LloydGrandpa Maguire
- Max MartiniThe Voice, JR's father
- Rhenzy FelizWesley
- Briana MiddletonSidney
- Max CasellaChief
- Sondra JamesGrandma Maguire
Recommendations
- 70
The Hollywood Reporter
If it struggles to find a rhythm, especially in the early going, there’s no question that it sends you off on a gentle high. - 70
Variety
It’s not easy being Ben Affleck, by which I mean, there aren’t many actors who seem so comfortably themselves on-screen, and now that Affleck has reached middle age, he’s capable of bringing fresh depth to his performances. - 60
Screen Daily
Neither the milieu nor the insights are especially fresh, despite the tender tone. - 60
The Independent
The Tender Bar is uneventful. But its performances have such an easy, lived-in quality that it wouldn’t be fair to call it inauthentic – just a little rosy in its outlook, perhaps. - 60
The Telegraph
When Clooney gets this cast riffing off each other in boozy hangout mode, the movie skips along surprisingly well for all its so-what-ishness. - 60
Empire
What The Tender Bar lacks in dramatic heft and originality, it makes up for in warmth, geniality and a clutch of great performances — chiefly Ben Affleck, who turns a stock uncle character into a memorable mentor. - 50
The Film Stage
In Clooney’s hands there is very little about this coming-of-age tale that proves particularly gripping. - 50
Movie Nation
As undemanding and shambolic as it is, The Tender Bar takes you in with warm afterglow and some winning, “I’d like to have a drink with that guy” moments.
