The Tender Bar Trailer: Ben Affleck Is an Inspirational Uncle in George Clooney's Coming-of-Age Drama

The first official trailer for George Clooney's next directorial attempt, "The Tender Bar," has been released by Amazon. The film stars Ben Affleck as a kind-hearted uncle who becomes a father figure to a little child in a 1970s-set family drama based on J.R. Moehringer's biography. If the trailer and title, both composed by Paul Simon, are any clue, "The Tender Bar" will be packed with scenery-chewing performances and heartfelt cries. With a December 17 theatrical debut, Amazon may have a true family Christmas success on its hands.

According to Amazon, here's the official synopsis: "'The Tender Bar' depicts the narrative of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a fatherless youngster who grows up in the warmth of a bar where his uncle Charlie (Affleck), the bartender, is the sharpest and most colourful of an assortment of odd and demonstrative father figures." J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie's bar — as his determined mother (Lily Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous but begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd).

Others were less swayed by the sweet melodrama, but we saw some of its appeal: "'The Tender Bar' is a pleasantly anecdotal amble down memory lane that features amusing one-liners, nostalgic production design, warm, soft, golden-brown lighting, and an efficient if anonymous directorial style: Clooney's one flourish is a split-screen sequence over the closing credits..." The film "paints an appealing, Spielbergian picture of all-American domestic chaos in the 1970s, paired with a Scorsese-esque vision of endless talkative relatives scurrying between the kitchen and the dinner table."

In the trailer, Christopher Lloyd appears as a cantankerous grandfather, alongside Lily Rabe as J.R.'s striving mother. The most of the drama appears to centre on Affleck, who has settled into his new role as a father.

William Monahan, a screenwriter and novelist who won an Academy Award for "The Departed" in 2007, wrote "The Tender Bar." Clooney and Heslov, along with Ted Hope, are producing "The Tender Bar" under their Smokehouse Pictures banner. The writing for "The Tender Bar" was written by William Monahan, who earned an Academy Award for "The Departed" for best adapted screenplay.

The film will be released in limited release on December 17th, followed by a wide release on December 22nd.

The first official trailer for George Clooney's "The Tender Bar" may be seen below: