The Tender Bar
Amazon Studios | Release Date: December 17, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
25
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Film ThreatAlan NgDec 22, 2021
I liked The Tender Bar for its simple story and fantastic performances. But, honestly, it works best as a straight-to-streaming title, as it hits familiar beats and feels small in scope. Clooney has concocted cinematic comfort food. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredMartin CarrDec 20, 2021
Ben Affleck anchors this surprisingly complex drama with a career best performance, which sees director George Clooney turn his attention to the importance of friendships in life. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinDec 16, 2021
It’s such an astute and warmhearted journey that it’s hard not to succumb to its underdog charms. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanDec 21, 2021
Tender also is an apt description for the gently heartwarming tone of this appealingly low-key, faded Kodachrome coming-of-age story, capably directed by Clooney from a screenplay by William Monahan (“The Departed”). Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperDec 21, 2021
The Tender Bar is unabashedly sentimental — it’s one of those movies about writers told from the point of view of the writer that romanticizes everything about writing — but Clooney’s sure-handed direction and pitch-perfect attention to the 1970s and 1980s period-piece material, combined with the warm and relatable performances, make for classic comfort-movie formula. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony LaneJan 10, 2022
The gist of the critical response has been that The Tender Bar follows a well-worn path. Fair enough, but is that such a sin? (You should try the new Matrix movie. Now, that’s worn.) What counts is the firmness of the tread, and Clooney sets a careful but unloitering pace. Read full review
70
IGNTara Bennett Dec 21, 2021
The Tender Bar is a coming-of-age dramedy that sails on the backs of the exceptional ensemble cast. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenOct 11, 2021
If it struggles to find a rhythm, especially in the early going, there’s no question that it sends you off on a gentle high. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeOct 11, 2021
It’s not easy being Ben Affleck, by which I mean, there aren’t many actors who seem so comfortably themselves on-screen, and now that Affleck has reached middle age, he’s capable of bringing fresh depth to his performances. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyJoshua RothkopfDec 21, 2021
Affleck and Clooney make sense as collaborators; both of them became directors to get out of the way of their public images. Hopefully, the next time they decide to work together, they'll lean even further into the intimacies of a setting like the Dickens, a universe unto itself. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldDec 22, 2021
The movie isn’t terrible, but too often it feels Hollywood-bland; a missed opportunity, served neat. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyDec 22, 2021
It’s amiable and unpretentious, if also slack and diffuse. Read full review
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