Tender Mercies

"His struggle for fame was over. His fight for respect was just beginning."

1983 1h 32m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

83%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 162🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●76Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 12,322

DramaMusicRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Alcoholic former country singer Mac Sledge makes friends with a young widow and her son. The friendship enables him to find inspiration to resume his career.

“His struggle for fame was over. His fight for respect was just beginning.”

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Cast

Robert Duvall
Mac Sledge
Tess Harper
Rosa Lee
Betty Buckley
Dixie
Wilford Brimley
Harry
Ellen Barkin
Sue Anne
Allan Hubbard
Sonny
Lenny Von Dohlen
Robert
Paul Gleason
Reporter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bruce Beresford
Writers: Horton Foote
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bruce Beresford, shot by Russell Boyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Dreyfus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William M. Anderson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Duvall and Tess Harper and Betty Buckley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "His struggle for fame was over. His fight for respect was just beginning.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0086423 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bruce Beresford directs. Russell Boyd behind the camera. George Dreyfus scores. William M. Anderson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
243 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Bruce Beresford, shot by Russell Boyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by George Dreyfus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor William M. Anderson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robert Duvall and Tess Harper and Betty Buckley carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "His struggle for fame was over. His fight for respect was just beginning.".
8IMDB entry: tt0086423 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Russell Boyd
Original score: George Dreyfus
Editing: William M. Anderson
Costume design: Jane Greenwood
Makeup / hair: Jimi White
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,500,000
Box office: $8,400,000
Return: 187% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Tender Mercies (1983)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 76/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 12,322 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

Won 2 Oscars. 10 wins & 14 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Bruce Beresford

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-07-21
★ 7/10
A broken-down Country musician seeks a new life in Texas A single mother (Tess Harper) runs a motel & gas station in the lonely plains between Dallas and Austin. She hires an alcoholic man who couldn’t pay what he owed (Robert Duvall) and discovers that he’s an ex-Country star. “Tender Mercies” (1983) is a lowkey drama set in rural Texas, reminiscent of "Resurrection" (1980) mixed with “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and the later “The Apostle.” While it’s better than “Resurrection,” it’s not quite as good as the other two. However, if you like subdued storytelling, like “Places in the Heart,” you might prefer it. The film was reimagined as “Crazy Heart” 26 years later with Jeff Bridges, which also features Duvall. On the female front, Tess is winsome in a humble way while Betty Buckley is great as the ex-wife and country entertainer, Dixie. Whenever she performs, the movie perks up. Lastly, Ellen Barkin is notable as the beautiful 18 years-old daughter. She was 28 during shooting, but easily fit the role. By contrast, both Tess and Robert were slightly long-in-the-tooth for the ages of their characters (if you do the math), but that’s a minor cavil. There’s a welcome spirituality to the proceedings and the movie doesn’t skimp out on addressing tough theological questions in its understated way. The flick runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Palmer, Texas, which is a half hour drive south of Dallas. GRADE: B/B-

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