Tender Mercies (1983)

Robert Duvall earned his Best Actor Oscar playing Mac Sledge an alcoholic country and western singer and songwriter who finds solace and eventually love at a remote roadside motel run by a young war widow (and mother of a six year old boy Sonny; Allan Hubbard’s only role) Rosa Lee played by Tess Harper. Placing no real demands on him other than he not drink while doing odd jobs for her she provides him with just what he needs to emerge from his fog to start writing music again; they marry. Discovered ‘hiding out’ in his obscurity by a reporter (Paul Gleason) he meets the manager (Lenny von Dohlen) of and later starts to sing again with a local band. Mac also learns to face his past which includes his ex-wife who’s still a country music singing star appropriately named Dixie (Betty Buckley) their former and her current manager Harry (Wilford Brimley) and the couple’s daughter Sue Anne (Ellen Barkin her second credited role) who grew up somewhat lost without her father and instead with an overindulgent mother. Directed by Bruce Beresford (‘Breaker’ Morant (1980)) and written for Duvall by Horton Foote (To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)) who also won an Academy Award for this film which along with director Beresford and the Original Song “Over You” was nominated for an Oscar.

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