Tender Mercies

April 07, 2025

Tender Mercies

Release Date

March 4th, 1983

Directed by

Bruce Beresford

Screenplay by

Horton Foote

Starring

Robert Duvall

Tess Harper

Ellen Barkin

Allen Hubbard

Wilford Brimley

Awards

Tender Mercies was nominated for several awards worldwide. It received five Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and was a nominee for the prestigious Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Robert Duval won an Academy Award for Best Actor, and Horton Foote also won Best Screenplay.

Trivia

Ellen Barkin previously acted with Mr. Von Dohlen in the play Bless Me Father for I Have Sinned and appeared in the film Kent State.

In his autobiography Room to Dream, David Lynch notes he was asked to direct Tender Mercies. He turned it down, writing, "It turned out to be a great film, but I didn't think it was right for me."

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Tender Mercies tells the story of a former country singer named Mac Sledge (Robert Duvall), a broken man whose life begins anew when he wakes in a motel room after a night of drinking, abandoned and penniless. When he is asked to tend to the motel as a means of paying his bill, he comes to know the motel owner, a woman named Rosa Lee (Tess Harper), and her young boy, Sonny (Allan Hubbard). He quickly falls in love with Rosa Lee and marries her. A changed man, Sledge stops drinking and lives a quiet life taking care of the motel Mariposa Motel and its gas pumps.

After reading about Mac Sledge in the newspaper, a local band, The Slater Mill Boys, visit the Mariposa Hotel, hoping to see the former musician. The band manager for The Slater Mill Boys, Robert Dennis (Lenny Von Dohlen), greatly admires Sledge. The men tell Rosa Lee that they would like to talk to Mac and pay their respects.

Learning that his ex-wife Dixie (Betty Buckley) is in town on tour, Mac attends one of her performances, partially hoping to see their 18-year-old daughter Sue Anne (Ellen Barkin), but Dixie won't allow them to see each other. Before returning home, Mac leaves a song he's written with an old friend named Harry (Wilford Brimley), a member of Dixie's team, saying he'd like his former wife to sing it.

Harry later visits Mac to tell him Dixie refuses to sing the song. He also adds that he believes the song isn't any good. Sledge, who hadn't written for years, takes the news very hard, leaving in a rage.

He returns home after some length. A worried Rosa Lee informs him two of the Slater Mill Boys visited while he was gone, and one tried to help her learn to read music so she could play the song for him. She admits she couldn't learn how to read, but one of the boys liked the song - and she does too. This encourages Mac. After hearing of the boys' woes, he agrees to let them cover the song and eventually agrees to sing it. They play local honky-tonks, helping Mac gain confidence due to the public's positive reception of his new work.

Mac's daughter Sue Anne briefly reenters his life. She asks her father if he'd like to meet her boyfriend. Mac agrees but is never given the chance to meet him. The next he hears from Sue Anne is that she's eloped.

The song Sledge recorded with the Slater Mill Boys becomes successful, getting radio play, just as he learns that his daughter has been killed in an automobile accident. Sledge says, "I don't trust happiness. I never did. I never will."

The film ends with Mac playing football with Sonny as Rosa Lee watches, possibly indicating that with his faith and family, time will heal his wounds.

Deleted, Extended or Alternative Scenes in the Screenplay Featuring Mr. Von Dohlen's Character

Robert's first scene involves him entering a rehearsal hall to inform The Slater Mill Boys that Mac Sledge has moved to the area. He then suggests they visit him.
While driving to the Mariposa, Robert turns on the radio, telling the others that the song playing is one he wants them to hear. Jake, a band member, tells Robert he doesn't care for the music, and Robert replies that he has no taste. They voice their wish to be paid half, or even a tenth, of what the band on the radio is paid. Once another song begins to play, the boys sing along. When they reach the Mariposa, Jake comments that the area is a "dump." Bertie asks what they should say, and Robert suggests they tell Mac Sledge they're admirers. Jake says that is insincere, but Robert truly admires Mac Sledge. Bertie feels the same.
Robert tells Mac he's the band manager and explains the role of each man in the group. They tell Sledge he's an inspiration and ask him when he's going to sing again. Sledge says he's not going to sing anymore, but he might listen to them some night. Robert asks if Mac can give them any advice. He says, "No, I don't really, just sing it the way you feel it."
At a later point, Robert and Jake stop by while Mac is out. Rosa Lee has to tell them she doesn't know when he'll be back. Robert says the band will be playing this weekend and asks if they may leave a poster. He begins to return to the car when Rosa Lee stops him and asks if he might teach her how to read music so that she can surprise Sledge by singing his song for him. Robert agrees. When he reads the song, he begins humming along.
The Slater Mill Boys are playing at a country music hall when Sue Anne and her boyfriend Harris arrive. Sue Anne asks her boyfriend if he's ever heard the band before, and he replies that he met Jake at a bar the night before. Against Sue Anne's wishes, Harris has brought her there to sing. She says she wants to make it on her own and won't sing tonight. Sue Anne and Harris sit at Jake's table while the band takes a short break. Harris asks if they'll play Mac Sledge's new song. Jake says they already have but can play it again. When asked, Jake says the song is "O.K. He's written better."

I have to wonder if Sue Anne may have once been an unrequited love for Robert since the film has him state that he is the only single man in the group. If so, this scenario would make Sue Anne's ill-advised choice to be with Harris all the more heartbreaking. Harris is an older, alcoholic man whose lackadaisical nature toward driving under the influence leads to her death.
The group runs into Mac while he's grocery shopping in town. Robert relays that he's talked to radio stations about the song Sledge has let them play, and suggests they record it along with another song by Sledge. The boys tell him of their struggles, and Mac says it might be best for them to learn it's a dirty business. Robert says a record label will record them if they use two of Mac's songs. Mac gives his permission. Robert admits it's not just his songs - they also want him to sing them. He tells the boys he can't promise them anything. He'll need a few days to think it over.

A promotional photo of Mac and Robert exists, causing me to think they filmed this but later filmed an alternative scene of them speaking as they walked to the grain store, as we see in the final cut of the film.
The Slater Mill Boys play at a club for a more upscale crowd. Mac, Sonny, and Rosa Lee arrive, wearing their Sunday best. Robert welcomes them, asking Mac if he's ready to get to work. Robert introduces Mac to the crowd. After the song is finished, Robert shakes Mac's hand.
Robert visits the Mariposa on his own after Sledge's daughter passes. He expresses his sympathy, though, at the same time, he cannot contain his happiness concerning the record's success. He tells Mac he heard the song three times on the radio on the drive over and is quickly able to find it when he searches the radio dial. When Rosa Lee joins them, Robert realizes himself and asks Sledge's forgiveness, saying he's anxious to share the good news. Sledge says he appreciates it, then, without a goodbye, slips behind the house to tend to his garden.

The screenplay is available in PDF form here.

Streaming Availability

You can watch Tender Mercies free of charge on the following sites:

FandangoAtHome
Amazon Prime

& with a library card via Hoopla

Tender Mercies is also available on VHS, Beta-Max, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray

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Film Trailers and Additional Videos

Film Stills

Behind the Scenes

"Tender Mercies - In between takes with Lenny and Robert Duval."

"On set for Tender Mercies in Waxahatchie, Texas with Oscar winning screenwriter, the great Horton Foote."

The photos above are shared with permission from The Fans of Lenny Von Dohlen Facebook page.

Promotional Photos

All images are from various online retailers and moviestillsdb.com.

The image above, featuring Mr. Von Dohlen in a cowboy hat, is the promotional photo previously mentioned of what appears to be an alternate scene from the screenplay, of Robert speaking to Mac in a grocery store.

Spanish Lobby Cards