Tender Mercies (1983)

TENDER MERCIES is a simple story of a country western singer's rise from the depths of drunken despair to respectability again after meeting a woman (TESS HARPER) with whom he falls in love, marries and is encouraged to try his hand at music again.

ROBERT DUVALL is Mac, the washed up singer, now the handyman at the motel run by Harper, who lives there with her young son. He's a legend in that area of Texas and is urged by an unknown group to sing and write for them--eventually even joining them on stage for one of his latest songs. Duvall plays the role with conviction, lending his voice to the songs in pleasant country style.

His ex-wife is bitter and unforgiving (BETTY BUCKLEY), and sees everything, even the tragic death of their daughter (ELLEN BARKIN) in terms of herself as the spotlight--and unable to treat him with any sort of respect. But he basks in the loving attention of his wife and his adopted son, getting his nourishment from his relationship with them rather than anything from his past.

It's a bittersweet story, simple and direct without any sub-plots or any kind of distraction and passes the time quickly in ninety minutes, more a character study of Mac than anything else.

I'm not a fan of country music nor this sort of western, but it has a certain homespun appeal and Duvall, of course, is an actor worth watching. It must have been a lean year for Oscars though--it's not the kind of performance that immediately grabs you and hasn't got Oscar written all over it.

Fmovies: This is a gentle, honest and straight forward depiction of the lives of several lonely people who meet, interact, and change one another in positive ways. Everyone grows and becomes more than what they were before, and when there is tribulation, they are able to rise above it with poise and gentility. The film is steady, quiet, and not overly long, but with good tension. It is very well acted. Duvall won a Best Actor Oscar here. I'm not a sentimental person, but this is really a charming, simple and beautiful film.

Whomever was responsible for the set direction of this film is a true genius. The use of color, foremost, and of depth, motion and scene blocking is as nearly perfect as any film I have ever seen. Amid a perfect background of muted greens or blues, there is always something red, drawing the eye directly to a perfect focal point, either anticipating or complimenting the action on the screen. It's simply gorgeous to look at, like an oil painting in a museum you can't quite tear yourself away from.

The first time I was shown this film it was at a small party thrown by someone I write and direct with. He and his wife have Ph.Ds in drama. They had wanted me to see it for the story and performances, but when I mentioned the direction and art direction and set and costume design, it opened new worlds for them. Inexplicably, they hadn't noticed.

Watch this film from a human, emotional perspective, and you will come away very satisfied. Watch it from technical point of view, vis-a-vis "Citizen Cane" - either way you will benefit. A masterpiece.

As spare and clean and unflinching as a John Ford movie. At times reminds me of The Searchers in its perfect marriage of style and pained stoicism, and the way the sky and fate dwarf the all-too-human interiors. Superb editing and interior design, and probably Duvall's finest performance.

Tender Mercies fmovies. I was happy to see this film once again when it aired last night on CMT. It's certainly worthy of a second look, as you take something new away from it each time. Even though this was filmed during the urban cowboy era of the early 80s, it doesn't seem dated in its subject matter. Country music fans can draw their own conclusions as to who inspired some of the characters. Robert Duvall's burnt-out drunk Mac Sledge surely borrowed from Lefty Frizzell. Mac's singing style is eerily close to Lefty's and he even performs one of his songs in the film. Betty Buckley's country queen Dixie Scott is reminiscent of Dottie West. Perhaps the writer based his story on George Jones and Tammy Wynette's bitter divorce, Jones' subsequent alcoholism and redemption, and Tammy's raising of their daughter. Whatever the case, it has a wonderful message about loss making us appreciate the good things we're given in life. The final song playing while Tess Harper watches her husband and son tossing a football says it best.

While some may consider the movie a little slow at times, its overall message is a powerful one. A movie about redemption, restoration and hope. Robert Duvall's portrayal of a man whose life is in need of repair is outstanding. Ranks with his character in "The Apostle", a similar tale in many ways. In my opinion, the baptismal scene is one of the movie's most moving moments. The bleak landscapes and the dust-blown scenes effectively echo the main character's state of mind for part of the film. Mac Sledge is a great character brought to life by Duvall. As Sledge gradually gets his life together thanks to the developing relationships with a young widow and her son, the mood of the movie becomes a little more positive.

This is a movie with a lot of "dignity." It has such realistic people, it kept me fascinated because it seemed so different from most films I've watched.

There aren't a lot of dramatic things that happen in the story yet, as a whole, it's a wonderful tale that stays with you. It's a lot more than just seeing an Oscar-winning performance by Robert Duvall as Texan and former C&W singer and writer, "Mac Sledge." It's simply good storytelling

I can't say I am a fan of Duvall's country singing, but that is the only thing I didn't like. Well, maybe "Dixie" (Betty Buckley), who played a bitter ex-wife of Duvall's in here. She was not pleasant, but others were really nice, likable people. Yet, this is not some sappy movie just because most of the people are good folks.

As in film noirs in which the viewer has a sense of dread, knowing something bad is around the corner, I felt the same thing in this film, even though it didn't necessarily happen. I mean with the main characters: Mac, Rosa Lee and Sonny. There was underlying tension, probably because of Sledge's alcoholic and violent past, that made me fear that any minute he was going to ruin the nice setup he had with a good woman and nice stepson.

Duvall, as usual, makes his role a fascinating and unpredictable one. With many of the people he has played over the years, you never am sure what his characters are going to do next. Tess Harper, as Mac's new wife, and Alan Hubbard, as her son, are two of the most realistic characters I've ever seen on film. It helped they were from the area so their accents were real.

This is a just straight drama, with a solid screenplay by Horton Foote and direction by Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy"). In addition, actors Buckley (who can sing, too), Wilford Brimley and Ellen Barkin all give memorable supporting performances.

It was an interesting tale of something I have rarely seen on film in the past 50 years: a good Christian woman lifting up a man to her level. She never had to do it verbally, never nagged or preached to the man, just set example of how to act and be a loving, supportive spouse. There is a lesson for people here with how well "Rosa Lee" handled situations. Nice.....very nice.