Tender Mercies (1983)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written by Horton Foote
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Starring Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin, Allan Hubbard, and Paul Gleason

Features:

• Miracles and Mercies featurette
  
• Trailer
  

Released by: Anchor Bay
Rating: PG
Region: 1
Anamorphic: Yes
My Advice: Rent it...Duvall and Foote fans will want to own it.

Mac Sledge (Duvall) is a has-been country singer who is coming back from a very harsh bout with alcoholism. He disappeared off the face of the planet while he was recovering, but he makes his way into the lives of a young widow and her son (Harper and Hubbard, respectively) who live in a small Texas town. As their relationship grows, he is tempted towards remnants of his past life that are better left alone. He also finds that this young woman and her son provide him with the inspiration to continue with his career and get his life back on track.

This is one of Duvall's finest performances. He simply is Mac Sledge. Of course, it doesn't hurt that his very close friend, Horton Foote, wrote the script. After all, Duvall has been in a lot of Foote's films over the years. Foote writes the type of characters that Duvall can really connect with. Not only that, but the rest of the cast is stunning as well. Harper and Hubbard are wonderful in their roles as the family who is in need. The cinematography is incredible; it really captures the naked beauty of small east Texas towns. The one thing that makes this movie work, though, is that it takes its time. Its pace is neither too fast nor too slow, it just unfolds naturally.

The DVD is a decent treatment of the film. There is a wonderul tribute to the film in the form of a thirty minute retrospective that comes with interviews with some of the cast and crew. It is very well produced and the interviews are to the point, as good interviews should be. It covers everything from how the movie was cast to the issues they had with the way the movie was marketed (it only played in three cinemas for the first six weeks that it ran) to the surprise that the movie was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1983. The interviews with Horton Foote alone are worth the purchase of this DVD.

This movie should be seen. My advice is to rent it, but true fans of Robert Duvall and Horton Foote will want to drop the money to add this one to their collection.