Rylee McDonal ~ Copy Editor
The Tender Bar is a movie that follows the true life story of journalist J.R. Moehringer. The cast is composed of many well known actors including Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan. However, the true magic of the movie is less in the actors, and more in the message that is conveyed. Spoilers ahead…
As a writer who often struggles to write an article or a story, it was very easy for me to relate to the main character. While our upbringings were very different, I felt like I was able to understand his struggle to find what he really wanted to write about.
In the movie, Moehringer is raised by his mother, always bouncing from one house to the next, as she couldn’t hold a job and his father was only really known to him as a voice on the radio.
Moehringer and his mother would always end up back at his grandfather’s house, where he spent most of his time with his uncle. Despite not being his actual father, Moehringer’s uncle was the primary father figure in his young life, and even inspired him to become a writer.
Despite his harsh upbringing, Moehringer eventually was able to attend Harvard and get his degree. While at Harvard, he wrote for the paper there, and after graduation he worked for the New York Times.
However, when it came to Moehringer’s writing, he was constantly told that he was missing something. He even gets denied a promotion at the New York Times due to publishers finding his articles lacking.
This all changes when he meets with his father in person for the last time. The Voice winds up being arrested after attacking his current wife. This experience finally gives Moehringer the inspiration to write something meaningful.
With this summary in mind, the message of the movie is very clear. While many of us may not have the same experiences as Moehringer had during the movie, we still can find moments that will inspire us to write something inspirational. These moments don’t have to be big, or obvious, but they should have a big impact on who we are.
Overall, the movie itself was very inspiring and had a great cast that was able to convey a great message for anyone who needs the extra push for writing.
