It is a tale as old as time. Gruff bachelor-type seeks to continue the single life. Then, an unexpected child comes into his heart. He grows, blooms, and becomes the tender father figure of our dreams. Meanwhile, an abandoned child with daddy issues finds a role model worth having and fulfills all his dreams… But not without standing in the rain despondently calling for the woman he loves first. We know it, we love it, but now it’s coming to us directed by George Clooney and starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Christopher Lloyd, Lily Rabe, and Daniel Ranieri. The Tender Bar promises all of the above and more.

A release shares:

The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. 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 (Christopher 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. The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer.
The Tender Bar - Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan at a bar in movie still

Amazon Studios

J.R. Moehringer is an American journalist and author. In 2000, he even won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. So we know there are great things in store for our coming-of-age hero in this tale. There’s definitely a sheen of familiar Americana here. But whether this movie will turn it on its head or offer the straight-forward vision of itself remains to be seen.

The Tender Bar releases in theaters on December 17 and Prime Video on January 17. We look forward to lots of tenderness and lots of heart.