Tender Mercies


Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall), a once-famous country western singer, wakes up broke, alone and hung over in a tiny Texas motel run by widowed Rosa Lee (Tess Harper). Having nowhere else to go, Sledge takes a job at the motel, and through the kindness and faith of Rosa he changes his self-destructive ways.

He marries Rosa (after he's baptized at her urging) and becomes a father/pal to her son (Allan Hubbard).

Given an opportunity to make a comeback, Sledge considers leaving his new family behind, but after a reunion with his own unhappy daughter (Ellen Barkin), he vows never again to ruin anyone else's life. A simple story simply told, Tender Mercies is a warm, persuasive tale of redemption, with Robert Duvall giving one of his finest performances.

Also appearing is Betty Buckley as Duvall's ex-wife, a Dolly Parton-type country star, and Wilford Brimley as Duvall's former manager.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer(s): Robert Duvall, Philip Hobel, Mary Ann Hobel, Horton Foote
Cast: Paul Gleason, Wilford Brimley, Ellen Barkin, Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Lenny von Dohlen, Betty Buckley, Allan Hubbard, Michael Crabtree, Norman Bennett, Rick Murray, Stephen Funchess, Glen Fleming
Writer(s): Horton Foote
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