Review of Tender Mercies (1983) by Clark B — 23 Mar 2010

To me, a perfect movie.

From the great Horton Foote, it's about a drunk named Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall) who wakes up broke one morning at a remote motel in Texas unable to pay his bill. He offers to work it off for the owner, a war widow played by Tess Harper, and he eventually stays on with her and her young son. At first we're not sure whether we can trust this guy or not - he doesn't say very much - and as an alcoholic I suspect he's not sure he can be trusted either. The story unfolds with economy as Mac Sledge attempts to rebuild his life one day at a time and we learn more about him and his past.

That's the story but it's impossible for me to communicate how emotionally affecting this movie is. Toward the end there is a quiet scene between Duvall and Harper where he haltingly talks about a recent personal tragedy and his feelings about it. It's the single saddest thing I've ever seen in a movie, and so true to his character that it makes me tear up just thinking about. This movie earns the emotions it wrings out of you and it does so without histrionics. There is nothing "Hollywood" about it.

Complex things like love, loss and faith are deal with honestly, but also with subtlety. It's a simple movie that is not simplistic. It's so good it has me talking in epigrams. I can't recommend this more highly. This movie is poetry.