Customer Reviews

Tenderness

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

The first thing to know about Tenderness is that it's a crime drama, not an edge-of-your seat thriller. While it does offer suspense from time to time, don't expect Silence of the Lambs.

What I found most interesting about this movie were the compulsions by the major characters. A self-destructive teen obsessed with a murderer, a young man obsessed with killing girls, and a weary detective obsessed with keeping the young man behind bars.

In the film From Dusk Till Dawn, we get glimpses of compulsions by Tarantino's character. With Eric in Tenderness, those compulsions are amplified. We're able to see the wheels turn in his head whenever opportunities for him to murder present themselves. He battles his inner demons with a sense of confliction so apparent that you can see it in his face. Those feelings, as well as the disturbing vibe of his admirer, make for an interesting movie.

The movie isn't a cult classic, of course. There are a few plot holes, as well as established actors who get only moments of screen time. My only real complaint is that we're given a sense of how disturbed the two lead characters are, but the film never delves into what made them that way. Eric doesn't seem to require state-mandated therapy for chemical imbalances, so the audience never fully understands what motivates him to kill.

If you're looking for an exciting crime drama, this may not be for you. If you're looking for something more in the way of a subtle psychological thriller, Tenderness is better than most Redbox flicks. Rent it once before deciding if you want to buy the DVD.

Don't expect it to make any sense until the end. Even then, it feels like it has holes and filler at the same time.

I felt the plot stretched in too many directions and lacked a clear story. I found the characters interesting but ultimately difficult to "position" in the story. It felt like a mystery, to be honest, because so much of it doesn't make sense, and it was not suspenseful enough to be considered a suspense movie.

Parts of the movie are shown at the end that explain why certain things happened in the beginning. Fine, but I felt I was trying too hard to imagine what the "point" of certain scenes were until the very end. Only at the end does it seem to quickly "wrap up" and the characters' previous actions (what you remember...) make more sense.

I found it interesting to watch, but it lacks coherence.

This movie is set in motion by the release of a young serial killer from prison. His unabated blood lust, obvious to retired police detective Russell Crowe, drives the early scenes. The compulsive nature of his desire to kill makes for some suspect psychology. I'm not sure that's quite the mindset operating in teenage killers. But if you can suspend disbelief for a while, his predatory appraisal of his surroundings fills this film with the muscular tension of an animal about to spring on you.

The scene showing one of his last days in prison is especially effective. A juvenile from the girl's compound mistakenly wanders into the cafeteria where he's cleaning up, and is caught like a deer in the intense, high-beam gaze of the hungry hunter in him. This silent confrontation of predator and prey is brilliant acting.

When another young girl, a sort of convicted killer groupie, attaches herself to the newly independent boy, the film looks a little as if it's going to be another "Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer" odyssey. We think the question will be if, or how long, this young innocent with misplaced enthusiasms will survive in the company of such a dangerous character.

However the film ultimately doesn't center on the serial killer himself or on the hazard posed by his impulses. It takes a creative turn and focuses on the groupie, whose attachment turns out to spring from more profound motives than we originally suspected.
There is something about her that we can perhaps all identify with. Beneath her casual bubbliness, she is in despair over the always-ness of her life. Her mother always brings home men focused more on her nubile form than on having any sincere relationship with the more mature woman. The world always disappoints her. Such repetitions bring her to her own dangerous brink.

This is a thoughtful movie, with something else to offer - with something more to offer than the rampages of yet another homicidal maniac.

Tenderness isn't exactly what I was expecting. It's not really a detective movie in the sense that it focuses entirely on Russell Crowe's character searching for a psychotic killer. This is only one piece of the puzzle... a rather confusing and twisted puzzle.

Instead, what *really* takes up the majority of the storyline is this young man (the psychotic killer) who drives around in a car with a 16-year old girl. The girl happened to jump in the back seat without the killer knowing about it (and nearly causing a wreck as you will quickly recover) and the two of them drive around... wherever, trying to figure out where exactly the psychotic killer met this girl before. She gives him the clues, but he never remembers. The girl reveals to him her story about a bridge and a river, but apparently he can't remember it no matter what.

There's other interesting moments of suspense, such as the psychotic killer killing his parents and showing only a slightly graphic portion of how it happens.

The storyline, from what I gathered at least, is mainly a neverending list of reflections. Everything seems to focus on remembering the past, and how the girl and the killer got to this point in their lives, and where they go from here. This occurs by way of the two of them -like I said above- travelling to forest, bowling alleys, motels, carnivals, etc.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. I feel somewhat cheated to be honest because I was expecting a satisfying conclusion by way of a moment of terrific suspense, but... without spoiling anything, it's anything but. I guess the one thing I didn't quite understand is the *very* last scene before the credits rolled. I get the feeling I missed an important piece of the puzzle there.

Anyway, Tenderness is a pretty solid film. It will constantly keep you guessing (and confused) but hey, that's why it's a free country and you can continue to watch it over and over as many times as you wish until everything about it makes perfect sense.

I read this book a while back and admit I don't remember much about it. I don't even remember if I liked it. After sitting down with the movie and being semi-bored and semi-frustrated most of the time, everything comes together in the last few scenes and the last shot changed my mind about the whole thing entirely. If only the movie had given any hint that it intended to be smarter and deeper than it seemed! I hope a re-read of the book clears up the motivations of the characters, the chronically moist-faced killer and the girl who is damaged more than she seems. Four stars for the last few minutes - two stars for everything else.

This isn't the type of movie I usually watch, but I thought I'd give it a chance because it has both Russell Crowe and Laura Dern. The character of the 15 year old abused and neglected girl is captured remarkably. Her recklessness and her empathy for a boy who has killed his parents are not foreign to girls who are neglected by their mothers and sexually abused their mother's boyfriends.

Maybe this is the type of film that appeals to counselors or people interested in psychological studies. The last few moments reveal profound insights and answer some questions that linger in viewer's mind. I haven't studied the psyche of killers, so I can't comment on it's validity. I just think the film deserves a better rating than the one stars I've seen.

One of the reviews above is from a teacher. I've taught high school, and there's no way I'd show this movie to students. But it goes beyond the fact that they'd be bored with this slow-mover. It's inappropriate on many levels, and the last thing we want any kid to do is identify with the character who kills his parents.

A scary, suspenseful and entertaining film that has deeper implications for concepts of criminal justice, incarceration and compassion. Yes, there are a number of logical flaws in the film, but not enough to override the heart-stopping suspense and drama. Recommended as a better than average police procedural and investigative thriller.

I only vaguely remember this release, and didn't really recollect what it was supposed to be about, so viewing it turned out to be one of those wonderful surprises.

Here's the scoop. Eric is 18 and getting out of prison, with an expunged record, for killing his parents. He is also the suspect in other murders. Lori hurts inside. She has no father and her mom's boyfriend is about to move in and he has lecherous intentions. Russell Crowe is a semi-retired police lieutenant, with a terribly ill wife, who needs to keep an eye on Eric because he knows Eric is a psychopath and will kill again. Lori forces herself into Eric's life and the two head up to Buffalo where Eric is to hook up with a girl he fleetingly saw in prison.

One of the cool things about this movie is that it isn't a Russell Crowe movie but a movie with Russell Crowe in it. He gets to do his thing without being the alpha male. Then there are the two leads. Jon Foster as Eric, and Sophie Traub as Lori both turn in great performances. The roles they get to play are great themselves. Nearly everything that came out of their mouths was pleasantly unexpected. He seems perfectly normal but certain things trigger a reaction in him that he cannot control. She seems pleasant enough but figures she'll always be runner up. It's as though she feels she doesn't deserve to be happy. The two play off each other well. Crowe has a quiet confidence. He tends to his wife with loving care but doesn't take his eye off the ball where Eric is concerned. Laura Dern plays Eric's aunt. She's good as usual but her part is woefully small.

I'm surprised at the lukewarm reviews for this movie. It's difficult to explain just how good this really is. It's a great idea played in a very unexpected manner. I'm thinking more 4 and a half stars than the four I gave it, but maybe it isn't for everyone. But if you're at all into left of center films, give this a shot.

Little slow at times but interesting. Recommend as a one time watch though. Not something I'd keep on my shelf forever for watching2 every now and then like some awesome movies.

This was one of the weirdest movies that I have seen lately. Just to be clear, this is not a slasher movie. In fact most of the time the music is leading you to believe that something bad is going to happen, but mostly it never does.

Russell Crowe is a detective with a wife in a vegetative state. He is trying to stop a recently released serial killer Eric (Jon Foster's character) commit another murder.

The plot is unusual in that what you expect does not happen, and I don't want to give away the twist at the end.

This is not the greatest movie, and most of the time it drags along with not much happening. It is an average movie, no better or worse than any other movie.