by Julian Spivey

Simplistic ease is a term that fits Tender Mercies well.

In an era filled with blockbuster CGI laden movies it is important to take a look at and enjoy simplistic films; films that simply tell a good story and realize that special effects aren’t always needed. Bruce Beresford’s 1983 film “Tender Mercies” is exactly one of those films.

“Tender Mercies” is the story of a down on his luck country/western singer, Mac Sledge, played by Robert Duvall. Sledge’s music career is all but over and he has turned into an alcoholic roaming from motel to motel. The movie opens with him finding himself abandoned, hung over and broke at a run down motel run by a widow woman, Rosa Lee, played by Tess Harper. The woman hires Sledge to do chores around the place and his life slowly begins to change. The film begins to change into a love story between Sledge and Rosa Lee.

The film may seem a little boring at times, but that’s just the way it’s supposed to be in a little Texas town. Sledge eventually begins playing music again with the help of a local band looking to him for inspiration. One of the great scenes in the film simply involves Duvall (using his own vocals for the film) on a kitchen stool with his guitar showing Rosa Lee’s boy, Sonny, how to play.

Duvall’s almost under-acting in the film is what ultimately leads to the films success. He plays a quiet, hardened by life country singer and he does it as Robert Duvall, but not long into the movie Duvall ultimately becomes Mac Sledge. Duvall’s folksy, minimalist acting garnered him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Tess Harper’s acting in the film is often criticized as being inexperienced. “Tender Mercies” was her first film role and she had very little acting experience at the time, which is exactly why Beresford cast her in the role. Beresford wanted actors who could pull off the simple way of life living that only a small town Texan would know. Allan Hubbard, who plays Sonny, was actually a native Texan from a nearby town of where the film was being shot.

“Tender Mercies” is ultimately a character study about a man who has lived a long, hard life and is simply trying to get back on his feet again the only way he truly knows how. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and screenwriter Horton Foote won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. “Tender Mercies” also includes good supporting acting by Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley and Ellen Barkin.