Plot: A boy (Jr.) seeks a replacement for his father, who disappeared shortly after his birth, and bonds with his uncle Charlie and the patrons at a bar in Long Island. Uncle Charlie works as a bartender there and knows all of the staff and regular patrons. He is a charismatic individual and all of his friends are eager to initiate Jr. into their rituals. Jr. listens closely to the stories of these men and relies on these stories for guidance on how to live
Alternative Plot: The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Tye Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy's determined mother (Lily Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her -- and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) -- 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. The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer.
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