Maidgethma Wonderfully offbeat film!

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

mattkratz This is a good movie, good on plot and loaded on character study and message. Robert Duvall, in an Oscar-winning role, is a has-been country singer given a second chance with a new wife and a stepson (the previous father/husband in this family had been killed in Vietnam) while his ex-wife continues a successful singing career while prohibiting him from seeing their daughter due the the fact that he used to be an alcoholic and tended to be violent when he was drunk. He attempts to reconcile with his former family, gets a second chance at his career when an aspiring band drops by the gas station where he works, and makes the most of his second chance with his new family and has to deal with a new tragedy.This is mostly a study about decisions in your life, relations with other people, dealing with tragedy, and second chances. It deserved its Oscar awards. Duvall and the rest of the superb cast was excellent, as were the songs and scenes. I loved it and you will too. *** out of ****

g-bodyl Tender Mercies is a small film, but it aims high and it usually hits the mark. This film makes clear the dangers of alcoholism, but it also points out there is always a road towards salvation, or essentially a life fixation. This is a small, character-driven drama that is all about the characters, and the music. This film is swamped in country music and that gives the film an American taste. I was pleasantly surprised on how good this film was, and it certainly hits home.Bruce Beresford's film is about a middle-aged, once-famous country singer named Mac whose life was turned upside down by alcohol. But now he looks to bring his life together as he marries a widow from Texas and he becomes pals with her son. But life gets complicated when his long-lost daughter comes back into his life and when a chance arises to resurrect his music career.It's surprising that Robert Duvall has only one Oscar win to his name, but that came with this film and you can see why. He gives such an endearing performance as the man who desperately wants to change his life and clearly believes good things should not happen to him. We get some riveting supporting performances by Tess Harper as his new wife, Betty Buckley as his bitter ex-wife, and Ellen Barkin as his long-lost daughter.Overall, Tender Mercies is a small, emotional drama that is led by Robert Duvall's heartfelt performance and the notion of what it's like to change for the better. There are many people who could relate to this film, many people indeed. I also liked how this film avoided some of Hollywood's common tropes and did something new. For example, after meeting his daughter for the first time in years, we don't get the reaction we would expect to see based on other films. In the end, this is a very good, low-key drama with a nice country soundtrack. I rate this film 9/10.

bigverybadtom I saw it in the library and noticed it was an award winner, so I checked it out and watched it with my mother. Neither of us were impressed.The story is about a former country music star who has collapsed into alcoholism and vagrancy, and ultimately winds up at a rural motel/gas station run by a young widow and her young son. He offers to work for her, and she accepts, telling him he could not drink. But he is still a country music legend, and he is first visited by a reporter, then a garage band who want to meet him. Also in the region are his ex-wife, also a country music star, and their daughter. The rest of the story, of course, has Mac's past catching up to him.While the performances and characters are all credible, especially of the little boy who acts like a genuine little boy and not a precocious stereotype, the story is predictable and holds little in the way of surprises. The song that makes a major part of the story isn't even very good. We don't even learn much of anything about the country music industry or culture.Not bad but not good either. It must have been a lean year at the Oscars.

MartinHafer "Tender Mercies" is one of those rare movies I have seen more than once. The first time was back in the early 1980s when it first came out and I must admit it that I didn't particularly like it. I felt it was just way too slow and too low energy. So, almost three decades later, I decided to give it a try once again. After all, I've seen a lot of films since then and my tastes have changed considerably. And, since this is a film that earned Robert Duvall the Oscar for Best Actor, I decided to give it a try once again.So what did I think this time? Well, I certainly liked it a lot more. But, I can STILL understand why it didn't appeal to me when I was 19 and saw it the first time. If you are looking for excitement or much in the way of pacing, then the film would clearly be tough going. But, as I've aged, I much more look for characterizations--and there are many good ones in this one--particularly Robert Duvall. He did a nice job in portraying an alcoholic musician--a guy who must have been the inspiration, at least in part, for Jeff Bridges' starring role in "Crazy Heart"--a film which, incidentally, featured Duvall in a supporting role! Overall a fascinating but slow film--good for someone willing to cut the film a bit of slack.