Tender Mercies (1983)
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A washed-up country singer wakes up broke at a Texas roadside motel after a binge, and the widow who runs it, raising her son alone, lets him work off the bill.
TENDER MERCIES (1983) stars Robert Duvall as Mac Sledge, a once-famous singer-songwriter whose career collapsed into alcoholism and obscurity. Tess Harper, in her film debut, plays Rosa Lee, the young widow who gives him work on one condition, that he not drink while he does it, and slowly gives him a reason to stop drinking altogether.
Horton Foote wrote the screenplay, and his plain, unhurried dialogue carries the film more than any plot turn does. Bruce Beresford, an Australian director working in rural Texas, shoots the flat land and small churches without sentimentality, letting Duvall’s performance do the work.
Duvall did his own singing, wrote two of the songs, and won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Foote also won, for his screenplay. Betty Buckley plays Dixie Scott, Mac’s ex-wife, now a country star still singing his songs, with Wilford Brimley as Harry, her manager. Ellen Barkin appears early in her career as Mac’s estranged daughter.
Physical media
About the film
His struggle for fame was over. His fight for respect was just beginning.
- Directed by
- Bruce Beresford
- Runtime
- 92 minutes
- Released
- March 4, 1983
- Certification
- PG
- Country
- United States of America
- Starring
- Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin
More credits
- Genres
- Drama, Music, Romance
- Language
- English
- Origin
- US
- Studios
- Antron Media Production, EMI Films, Associated Film Distribution, Universal Pictures
- Written by
- Horton Foote
- Produced by
- Philip Hobel
- Cinematography
- Russell Boyd
- Music
- George Dreyfus
- Also starring
- Allan Hubbard, Lenny Von Dohlen, Paul Gleason, Michael Crabtree, Norman Bennett
- Budget
- $4,500,000
- Box office
- $8,400,000
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
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Films scored for your taste
Love this movie.
And with a great soundtrack with songs. I know of a relative who recently searched and managed to find the original vinyl record.
Perfect movie ⚡️❤️⚡️
It was!
Such a good film…
Love everything about this movie, especially Mac Sledge. Robert Duvall’s best performance in a career of great ones, IMHO. Just watched it again after he died and felt the loss keenly.
Good flick . I found that Crazy Heart had some slight similarities.
A f***ing great film with one of the best at his best.
One of my favorite movies.
A must watch
Great film,one of Duvall’s passion projects…
Truly right up at the top of Duvall’s most wonderful and lovely performances. So human, heartrending and hopeful. In her first film appearance, Harper hit a grand slam, let me tell you. She was perfect as was the boy who played her son. Some redemption is possible, though the saddest part of the film is what happens to his daughter, who dies in a car accident as a result of her future beau’s driving drunk. Sledge, who himself survived a car crash while also driving drunk, now has to deal with the eternal question of why one lives and another dies. It’s a challenge to his faith and his new found sobriety, but he lives on and I loved how it was handled in the film. Absolutely beautiful film.
One of best movies ever made
Jessie Pinkman’s mom.
I adore this film. Watching a young Tess Harper hold her own in every scene w Duvall is so impressive. And Duvall is simply superb in every respect. His performance at the honkytonk never fails to move me.
One of my all-time favorites. I’m a believer in second chances.
Don’t forget Steve Funchios on bass guitar and buying the beer.
“Didn’t you used to be Mac Sledge?” …”Yes m’aam I guess I was…” Brilliant!
I can watch this over and over. Brilliant and subtle
Great movie