The Tender Bar (2021)

[QQQQ]

The Tender Bar

A boy (Jr.) seeks a replacement for his father, who disappeared shortly after his birth, and bonds with his uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck) and the patrons at a bar in Long Island. Uncle Charlie works as a bartender there and knows all of the staff and regular patrons. He is a charismatic individual and all of his friends are eager to initiate Jr. into their rituals. Jr. listens closely to the stories of these men and relies on these stories for guidance on how to live.

Directed by George Clooney. Streaming on Amazon Prime.

[Avabelle]

I watched this and while it was nice, I didn’t feel like much happened. It’s not memorable in any way to me.

I liked Affleck as the supportive uncle and the lead actor who played the older JR stood out and I hope to see him in more. He looks like a cross between Andy Samberg and Tom Hardy. 

[QQQQ]

That's how I felt, too. It was a quiet movie, and not much happened. I'm about 6 years younger than JR and really appreciated the 70s music, decor, and vibe. I especially loved seeing houses from my youth, not today's McMansions.

[EtheltoTillie]

I liked this a lot, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have played duckpin bowling on Long Island. That’s a New England thing. 

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I liked this a lot, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have played duckpin bowling on Long Island. That’s a New England thing. 

It's not just a New England thing.  They've done it for decades in Baltimore, too.  The local version of Bowling for Dollars filmed there used duckpin bowling half the time, and there was also a show Duckpins and Dollars.  I watched both in the 70s.

[kassa]

The candlepin bowling scene was shot in our town bowling alley. Haven't been there in 20 yrs since kids were little, but it looks exactly the same. I too wondered if they have candlepin in L.I.

I agree that it was pleasant enough, but never rose to the point that I understood why it got made. And continuity stuff distracted me. The main character was my age and 70s music made sense in the childhood scenes, but they were still using Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne for scenes in 85-86? Aside from one frilly Lady Di  collar the clothes all looked late 70s and the cars even earlier. I don't think I saw a single compact car. Obviously lots of people drove 10 yr old cars... but every car in the street wasn't 10 yrs old.

[QQQQ]

1 hour ago, kassa said:

The main character was my age and 70s music made sense in the childhood scenes, but they were still using Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne for scenes in 85-86? 

I love Different Drum by the Stone Poneys, but had the exact same thought!

[EtheltoTillie]

18 hours ago, kassa said:

The candlepin bowling scene was shot in our town bowling alley. Haven't been there in 20 yrs since kids were little, but it looks exactly the same. I too wondered if they have candlepin in L.I.

I agree that it was pleasant enough, but never rose to the point that I understood why it got made. And continuity stuff distracted me. The main character was my age and 70s music made sense in the childhood scenes, but they were still using Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne for scenes in 85-86? Aside from one frilly Lady Di  collar the clothes all looked late 70s and the cars even earlier. I don't think I saw a single compact car. Obviously lots of people drove 10 yr old cars... but every car in the street wasn't 10 yrs old.

Now I see that there is a difference between candlepin bowling and duckpin bowling.  !!! interesting.  What was shown was candlepin.

Apparently played in Ct. RI and Maryland.

Duckpin played in New England and Canadian Maritime provinces. 

As a girl from Queens, I still maintain there are neither of those types of alleys on Long Island.  The several alleys I knew in Queens just had regular bowling.  They lived in Manhasset, supposedly, just over the border of Queens into Nassau County.   

 

I'm handwaving the continuity stuff, as I liked the actors and the story.

[proserpina65]

On 1/11/2022 at 2:07 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

Now I see that there is a difference between candlepin bowling and duckpin bowling.  !!! interesting.  What was shown was candlepin.

Apparently played in Ct. RI and Maryland.

Never heard of candlepin bowling.  Interesting looking, though.  They play duckpin here in Maryland.

[kassa]

I think there are three kinds - candlepin, duckpin, and ten pin.  Duckpin and ten pin are shaped the same but duckpins are smaller.

Candlepin balls are much smaller/faster (and no holes).  No idea whether duckpin have holes.