Tender Mercies Review
The unconventional, reserved actor Robert_Duvall chooses similarly challenging material to produce and direct himself, whether it be 1997's The_Apostle or his 1980s pet projects, Angelo,_My_Love and Tender Mercies. The latter film gave him one of his most delicate, nuanced roles, as well as his first Academy Award. Far from a vanity project, Mercies doesn't revel in Duvall's gruff, stoic persona so much as critique it. His washed-up country singer is a recovering alcoholic, hesitant and guarded with those who try to get close to him, whether fans (Lenny von Dohlen) or potential lovers (Tess_Harper). As scripted by Horton_Foote, the film has the lazy, unforced rhythms of real life. It's very much a piece with Foote's The Trip to Bountiful (1985): both stories are swan songs for long-neglected people who find redemption by revisiting the places and moments that have haunted them all their lives. In his first American feature, Australian director Bruce_Beresford shows a real affinity for the barren Texas locales, never condescending to his characters or their simple, humble desires. Duvall wrote and performed a number of the songs. Michael Hastings, Rovi
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