酒に溺れて離婚して以来落ちぶれていたカントリー歌手が、若く美しい未亡人が営むモーテルにたどり着く。心の安らぎを取り戻し、未亡人と幸せな人生を取り戻すかに見えたが……。人生に挫折した男の悲哀を描くヒューマン・ドラマ。
製作費: $4,500,000 (7億円)
興行収入: $8,400,000 (13億円)
推定収支: $3,900,000 (6億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
監督: Bruce Beresford
脚本: Horton Foote
音楽: ジョージ・ドレイファス
制作: Philip Hobel
撮影監督: Russell Boyd
制作会社: Antron Media Production / EMI Films / Associated Film Distribution / Universal Pictures
**_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-
