Film The Tender Bar, about a boy without a father growing up in the bar where his uncle works, premieres on Amazon Prime January 7. George Clooney directed the film.
Ben Affleck plays the uncle and bartender and Tye Sheridan plays the boy.
William Monahan wrote the screenplay, based on the J.R. Moehringer memoir.
Christopher Lloyd, Lily Rabe and Daniel Ranieri are also in the cast.
The film is rated R.
“As the boy’s determined mother (Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her—and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Lloyd)—J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams—with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar,” goes the Amazon description.
Ranieri plays J.R. as a boy.
“When Affleck is around—especially with young Ranieri as his wingman and pupil—the laid-back vibe of The Tender Bar achieves its full measure of weary, wised-up charm,” goes a NY Times review. “It’s not the kind of movie that will knock you out, but it won’t leave you with a headache and a dry mouth, either. It’s a generous pour and a mellow buzz.”
Grant Heslov and Ted Hope produced the film, which arrived in theaters last month.
The Moehringer book came out in 2006. It is set on Long Island, and the bar where Uncle Charlie mixes drinks is the Dickens. ■
