Hollywood, CA — Tonight, I had the honor of attending the screening of the film ‘The Tender Bar’ held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Directed by George Clooney, this coming-of-age film has a star-studded cast featuring Ben Affleck, Christopher Lloyd, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Daniel Ranieri. Tonight’s premiere was Ranieri’s debut performance as young J.R.
The movie was based on a memoir by J. R. Moehringer and told the story of young J.R and his mother, as they move back into his grandparents’ house. The movie takes viewers on a ride as J.R learns life lessons from his uncle Charlie (played by Affleck), who works at a local bar, and how the influences of his family, as well as the people around him, shape his future of becoming a writer. The performances by everyone in the film were phenomenal and 11-year-old Daniel Ranieri held his own with some of the best talents in the industry in his breakthrough role.
Although the story is a tragic one, it is one most people in America can relate to. ‘The Tender Bar’ is categorized as a drama although the film was made with a lot of hilariously clever dialogue to lighten the mood and keep the message of finding strength and hope from bad situations with the help of loved ones around us.
After the movie was over, there was a question and answer segment with the cast of the film. One particular question asked was how the cast felt about being a part of The Tender Bar; the entire cast agreed that it was fun and exciting because the writing was of quality and the roles were easy to relate to. They all have had someone in their life like Uncle Charlie who supported them and motivated them when they felt like they could not succeed — which is why the movie felt so authentic with the actors taking on each character’s struggle as their own.
The most beautiful message to take away from this film as stated by Affleck “is the importance of family and friends and the strength of single mothers everywhere,” as we all try to navigate this world and find ourselves.
The Tender Bar will be released by Amazon Studios in select LA & NY Theaters on December 17th, 2021. The movie will be in theaters nationwide starting Dec. 22 and globally on Prime Video on Jan. 7.
