--- title: "Tender Mercies: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/tender-mercies/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/tender-mercies" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Tender Mercies (1983): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 8 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. Every one of the eight reviews is favourable, and the praise settles almost entirely on Robert Duvall. Critics describe his washed-up country singer as spare, unshowy and lived-in, a performance that works by holding back. Beyond him, the reviews credit Bruce Beresford’s restrained direction and Horton Foote’s script for revealing character through small details and silences, and several note the Texas locations and the attention paid to faces. Time Out goes furthest, treating the film as a source for later American independent cinema. The spread is narrow. The one real reservation comes from The New Yorker, where Pauline Kael finds it slow to engage, with minimal dialogue and characters that stay blank for too long, before warming to its quiet relationships. Variety is more measured, describing it as old-fashioned in a good way and singling out Tess Harper and Allan Hubbard in support. Newer reviews, from The AV Club and Collider, are as fond as the ones from 1983. ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 5/5. 4 June 2013. The critic calls it a masterpiece and one of the wellsprings of US indie cinema, praising its quiet, relentless power, genuine redemption story, and Duvall's never-better performance alongside the entrancing rural landscapes and photography of human faces. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/tender-mercies) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 2009. The film is praised for its understated storytelling and Robert Duvall's quietly powerful performance as a washed-up country singer finding redemption. The critic highlights the minimalist approach of director Bruce Beresford and screenwriter Horton Foote, which reveals character through small details and silences rather than dramatic flourishes. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-tender-mercies-1983) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 1983. The review commends the film's spare, haunting quality and emotional power, largely due to Duvall's transformative performance as a defeated country singer. It notes the director's lighter touch compared to his previous work and the strong supporting cast, while observing the story's blend of loneliness, family themes, and country music. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/04/movies/tender-mercies-robert-duvall-as-texan.html) ## Radio Times Rating 4/5. The review highlights Duvall's spare, lean Oscar-winning performance as the washed-up country singer seeking redemption, noting Beresford's sympathetic direction of the Texas locations and Foote's realistic, poignant episodic story of second chances. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bloff1/tender-mercies/) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2021. The critic praises the film's wonderfully low-key approach that avoids clichés, highlighting Robert Duvall's unshowy, lived-in performance and the perceptive handling of faith and redemption. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/in-tender-mercies-robert-duvall-made-a-low-key-spiritu-1846560172) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 1983. The critic finds the film slow to engage due to its minimal dialogue and blank characterizations but appreciates the conception of steadfast values and redemption through quiet relationships. It singles out the off-screen emotional developments and Duvall's recovery arc as central to the story's gentle appeal. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1983/05/16/gents-and-hicks) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 31 December 1982. The review describes the film as old-fashioned in the best sense, with no gratuitous sex or violence, and praises Duvall's dignified and moving lead performance alongside affecting work from the supporting cast, especially Tess Harper and Allan Hubbard. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/tender-mercies-2-1200425415/) ## Collider — Liam Gaughan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 April 2025. The critic celebrates Duvall's Oscar-winning lead performance as a washed-up country singer seeking redemption and praises Beresford's naturalistic direction for capturing authentic human interactions and quiet emotional depth. [Read the review](https://collider.com/roger-ebert-great-films-robert-duvall-tender-mercies-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/tender-mercies.md