Movie Review - Tender Mercies

Commentary on "Tender Mercies"

The motion picture "Tender Mercies" is a music-drama that was released in 1983 by Antron Media Production and EMI Films. It was directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Horton Foote. The movie starred the well-known veteran actor Robert Duvall (as Mac Sledge) and Tess Harper (as Rosa Lee). Duvall won an Oscar? for Best Actor in a Leading Role for this film, and Foote was awarded an Oscar? for Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen). The plot of the movie is about "a broken-down, middle-aged country singer [who] gets a new wife, reaches out to his long-lost daughter, and tries to put his troubled life back together." (IMDB, 2010).

"Tender Mercies" is a story of success, collapse, and deliverance. It portrays the man, Mac Sledge, as a successful country singer; but then was broken financially and divorced due to his problem with alcohol. The primary theme brought out by the film is the prospect of Mac Sledge being able to repair his life.

The movie does a good job in developing the characters in the story. The director, Bruce Beresford, portrays Mac Sledge's sad condition at the beginning of the movie. He was divorced, a drunk, with no money, and living in a motel out in the desert. He was in need of help. The hotel manager (Rosa) was a widow with a young son. She had mercy on Mac by offering him a room and food for only $2.00 a day. Mac accepted the offer. Hence, another primary them of the movie is redemption.

As the movie proceeds, the viewing audience will observe different aspects of the characters that are progressively revealed and confirmed. For example, when Mac Sledge was faced with the obstacle of trying to sell his songs, he was discouraged. In reflecting this part of Mac's life, Beresford does a good job in directing the film by showing Mac's frustration through action packed driving scenes and the temptation he had in going back to alcohol to drown his woes. However, Mac decides to not go back to his old ways. He refuses to drink alcohol, he marries the widow, and even gives his life to Christ by getting baptized. Beresford shows the faithfulness of Mac's new wife through her attending church and praying for her husband as he goes through times of discouragement.

From an overarching perspective, this movie has logical structure and does a good job in adding more information about the characters as time progresses on through the story. There is emotion, drama, and good dialogue to help the viewing audience understand the story as it unfolds. Simply stated, this is a superb film that demonstrates how people can still have hope in times of discouragement due to "tender mercies" bestowed upon them by God. Moreover, the movie has a clear, articulate message and emphasizes the benefits of change as well as endurance. The motion picture "Tender Mercies" is highly recommended.

REFERENCE

Internet Movie Database (IMDB). 2010. Tender Mercies. Retrieved on 5 July 2010 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086423/

Adrian Robbe has a Master of Arts in Communication Degree in Cinema-Television (Critical Studies) from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His passion is the art of cinema and filmmaking. Adrian is the author of several books, to include:
- "Techniques of the Film Masters" (ISBN 978-1-4357-4347-2)
- "Metamorphosis of Hollywood Filmmaking" (ISBN 978-1-4357-3290-2)
- "Exploring the Nativity" (ISBN 978-0-5570-0665-6)
- "And the Oscar? Goes to..." (How does a filmmaker become an Academy Award? winner?) (ISBN 978-1-84728-487-7) [Note: This book is neither authorized nor endorsed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.]