THE TENDER BAR

Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan In theaters now, on Prime Video Fri., Jan. 7 R

Raised by a single mom on Long Island, aspiring writer J.R. (Sheridan) finds a father figure in his uncle Charlie (Affleck), a self-educated bartender with a rag-tag group of regulars who take an active interest in his nephew’s life. Director George Clooney helms the earnest adaptation of J.R. Moehringer’s coming-of-age memoir, which was a lovely read but not especially cinematic. (Just because it happened to you doesn’t make it interesting!) But Affleck’s endearing performance makes it well worth watching.