The two films today are character studies - one is a coming of age and aspiring writer memoir-story, directed by George Clooney; while the second is a satirical look at TV journalism and celebrity from Bruno Dumont, that stars Lèa Seydoux.
The Tender Bar (Amazon Prime) - The one thing that will most likely draw attention to this fresh Amazon Prime streaming content is that George Clooney is the film’s director. Touted as one of his passion projects, it’s an adaptation of the family memoir of writer J.R. Moeringer. There’s also the fact that there’s been talk of Ben Affleck possibly getting some Best Supporting Actor nominations for his work here - he plays Uncle Charlie of the film’s J. R., played by the excellent Daniel Ranieri as a young boy in 1973, and by Tye Sheridan as a Yale freshman and budding writer. It’s about growing up with a single mother who heads back home to New York and lives with her rowdy, extended family.
Christopher Lloyd plays the family patriarch, and there’s a lot of earnest interest and love in the subject matter; but unfortunately the screenplay never catches fire. After such duds as The Monuments Men, Suburbicon, and Midnight Sky, Clooney continues his negative streak with this mediocre outing - so much for the early acclaim given Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March. I also found funny how the time shift from JR as a young boy to his being a Yale student is solely represented by the change in actor, and not much else in set design or the appearances of the rest of the cast. Affleck does turn in an engaging portrayal and I won’t be surprised if it does create a buzz, but I don’t think it’ll warrant a nomination in the more prestigious award giving bodies, the film just doesn’t carry enough weight.
France (Video On Demand) - This film debuted in Cannes 2021, and was described as a satire on celebrity TV Journalism, directed by Bruno Dumont, and starring Léa Seydoux. First off, it’s refreshing to watch Léa take over a film with her acting and luminous presence - something she’s not often allowed to do when she’s tapped for English-speaking productions, where she’s more often window dressing or playing some stock character. Here, she dominates the film, and we can be grateful she’s in practically every scene, as she’s eminently watchable, and keeps the film watchable. As for the subject of the film, think of a Christiane Amanpour-type, suffering a crisis of faith in what she’s doing, and her relevance in the bigger picture.
The minor problem I had with Dumont’s handling of the material is how’s he’s conflicted on whether to portray Léa’s France as a vapid, egotistical bubble head who enjoys immense popularity, or push her as a sympathetic figure, a victim of her circumstances. The screenplay and treatment can’t seem to decide, and it weakens how the film reaches us, the audience. There’s also the issue of how the first half of the film seems to be brimming with ideas, and with tongue in cheek humor, but the shift in tone of the second half of the film comes without much warning, or strong interest in the narrative flow. As I mentioned, the saving grace of the film is Léa Seydoux; with other actresses, we might have given up on this film earlier.