Popular reviews

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  Review by Jake Cole ★½ 5

  You should be subjected to a rigorous screening process before you are allowed to write a memoir to confirm that anything about your life is interesting or special.

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  Review by matt lynch ★★★

  As a barfly and a fuck-up, I found this sort of inoffensively tame.

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  Review by Rosie ★★★ 2

  George Clooney adds another movie to filmography as a director with this lighthearted coming-of-age biopic. It’s a story about J.R., played by Daniel Ranieri as younger J.R and Tye Sheridan as older, of his upbringing at his Uncle Charlie’s (Ben Affleck) bar. Affleck was fun to watch as the straight shooter uncle and had some endearing moments with J.R. who was abandoned by his father. His mother Dorothy and Grandpa played by Lily Rabe and Christopher Lloyd gave some warm performances as well. When it came to the cinematographer, the shots, and editing choices were unusual. The film suffers from jumping around a lot not focusing on any major points in J.R.'s life. And the parts that felt significant should have had more weight but weren't as impactful as they could be. It's clunky as a drama but it's still a sweet film.

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  Review by Theo ★½ 14

  What happens in this movie?? A man with a distant father gets a degree? Bar one scene at a breakfast table this is a tepid conceited bore. There’s a line in The Tender Bar that if you were a bad writer you’d become a journalist - wrong! If you were a bad writer, you’d write The Tender Bar

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  Review by Jack Bool ★★

  George Clooney has very supportive friends.

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  Review by Jacob Knight ★★½ 4

  “Look, you're my dumb, ugly nephew, so don't take this the wrong way but, in twenty years if you're still livin' here, drinkin’ at my shithole bar, watchin' the Mets, talkin’ to Chief about ‘Nam, tryin’ to tell whatserface that you’re a writer so you don’t have to fuck the glove again, I'll fuckin' kill ya. That's not a threat. That’s a fact. I'll fuckin' kill ya. You’re goin’ to Yale, because I’m Ben Affleck and I fuckin’ said so. Now get me my cigarettes.”

  Uncle Chuckie From Long Island, Who Can See His Past Lives (In Boston)

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  Review by Adam Nayman ★½ 5

  Ben finally gets to play Will Hunting, sort of.

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  Review by iana ★ 3

  why

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  Review by Swartacus ★★½ 13

  The cinematic equivalent of a corn dog.

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  Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★ 5

  Despite knowing that many people disliked this film, I opted to watch it out of curiosity. While it's far from Clooney's greatest work, and the film feels not only unfinished, but somewhat rushed, the end result isn't too bad. Affleck reveals a gentler side of himself as the role of this man who, thanks to Ben's charm and the script, leaves a mark on you. Unfortunately, the remainder of the characters are dull or feel inconsequential. Similarly, on the technical side, most of the look and feel feels and seems fairly generic.

  All in all, while it has its fair share of problems, if you're looking for something nice to pass the time on a Sunday afternoon and have nothing to watch, you could do worse.

  TODAY SCHEDULE
  The Tender Bar
  Mass
  The Thomas Crown Affair
  24

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  Review by Bill Griff ★★½

  Ohhh so he’s a bartender but he’s also tender while at the bar! Good one George ;)

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  Review by Matt Neglia ★★ 3

  THE TENDER BAR is a more grounded but slight effort from George Clooney with a screenplay that has little to nothing to say that we haven’t heard before. Ben Affleck’s warm charisma dominates the first half so much that it lingers over the tedious second half led by Tye Sheridan. I have no idea why this story needed to be told but if you’re going to tell it, give it some punch at least.