CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

MarieGabrielle Russell Crowe as a detective who is living somewhat in limbo. He has an instinct Eric Komenko, a juvenile who killed his parents may kill again. So he follows him through a void of nameless suburbs in upstate New York.The character of Lori, a disaffected teen who tags along with Eric. At first we aren't aware of her psychological motivation.There is a connection Lori has to Eric, the actress portraying Lori is particularly affecting, she likes Eric, but he is interested in Maria, a girl he met in prison. Lori is a tragic figure, trapped and insecure. Wanting "out" but not sure how to change her life.Eric is in his own way trapped from his past actions.And Russell Crowe is very realistic here,an older retired detective, his wife is critically ill and this is sort of a final mission he feels he should complete.The film is a bit slow but psychologically interesting. Crowe is out of character, and does well here as an 'everyman' trying to accomplish one possibly meaningful thing in his dead-end career.Mysterious and ephemeral ending, but recommended.

MrGKB ...and "Tenderness," the very talented director, John "FlashForward" Polson and equally talented writer, Emil "The Life Before Her Eyes" Stern, have crafted a fine adaptation of Robert "The Chocolate War" Cormier's novel that manages to remain true to the source despite certain alterations. I base this on secondhand references, not having read Cormier's book, but have been motivated to put it on order at my library solely on the basis of this film. That's how good it is.[11.11.11 edit: library copy summarily read; some details are changed, but the core story remains essentially the same. The changes to the cop were obviously to get Crowe on board, and to the final climax of the plot to accommodate audience expectations. A decent, quick read]Although Russell "Romper Stomper" Crowe gets top billing (an obvious move to gain an audience), his supporting role of persistent cop is really that of a framework voice-over, and his performance is competent enough, even if any of dozens of "lesser" actors could have assayed the character perfectly well; the story truly belongs to Jon "my older brother is better known" Foster as a young sociopath recently released from prison for the murder of his parents, and Sophie "still learning the business" Traub as the troubled teen who imagines she's in love with him. Both fledgling actors more than hold their own against Crowe by forming a relationship that both intrigues and mystifies its audience; check out Traub's spot-on expressions in scene after scene, or those on Foster as he seeks to restrain inner demons. I suspect the book does a better job of explication of motive, but the themes of isolation and yearning that run through the film are compelling enough to carry the story forward to its bittersweet conclusion."Tenderness" is nicely lensed by longtime Clint Eastwood collaborator, Tom "I've worked with his daughter, too" Stern, and moodily scored by television workhorse, Jonathan "I'm not the guy who sells beer" Goldsmith. Shot in and around Buffalo, NY, the film sports an anywhere vibe that overrides the specificity of its setting, emphasizing the universality of its themes. All in all, a fine piece of indie filmmaking. Highly recommended to all devotees of quality under-the-radar movies.

tcab The best I can say about this movie is that it provides suspense by constantly suggesting that something might happen. But nothing convincing or satisfying ever does.But it has serious problems with characters. A case can be made that Lori, who perhaps witnessed Eric kill a teenage girl, is traumatized and fixated with horror and fascination and thus becomes Eric's perverse groupie. Additionally she was abused by her mother's boyfriend and by her boss. So all those elements in her chaotic young life can form a coherent picture of a girl who, in a sort of Wagnerian lovedeath, finally commits suicide. (Sophie Traub, the actress who plays Lori, is a classic German "Brunhilde" type, especially in the scene where her hair is in braids. All that's missing is the lederhosen and a stein of beer.)The Russell Crowe character tells Eric, and us, that he, Eric, is psychotic and hence destined to kill again, a simplistic viewpoint that borders on the inane. Ironically, Crowe's character is the only one in the movie who behaves as though he might be psychotic.But the Erich character portrait is totally screwed up and psychologically preposterous. We have to accept, from his actions alone, that he's a murderer, but he never acts psychotic or like a person capable of murder. He appears to be a normal, if morose and disturbed, teenager. And why wouldn't he be, given what he's been through? He gives the lie to the label of "psychotic" by the intense pain he suffers over Lori's death. A psychotic would be incapable of feeling such empathy. The movie teases us with instances where it appears he is attempting to murder Lori, touches that are totally out of character for the movie and surely resulted from someone heavy-handedly screwing around with the script in a dimwitted attempt to make it more exciting.

Chrysanthepop John Polson's 'Tenderness' starts off interestingly with the promise of being an intense thriller. The film keeps the viewer guessing about the intentions of Lori and Cristofuoro behind their pursuit for Eric but they are never fully explored. The director doesn't provide much insight into the character's psyche and, as a result, it's difficult for the viewer to be involved. Tbe writing of the Lori character left a lot to be desired. The entire Cristofuoro track felt halfbaked. It was something that either should have been better developed or left out completely. On the technical side, the cinematography and score stand out. Russell Crowe does adequately. He's not given much to do in the first place and his inconsistent accent is quite apparent. Jon Foster too is passable. He fails to capture the sense of menace that Eric is supposed to have. Noted that Eric isn't an evil person but he's still a helpless psychopath who has the urge to kill and this chilling side of the character isn't properly depicted. Sophie Traub tries her best and she is good in many scenes but her character remains inconsistent. Laura Dern is wasted.'Tenderness' could have been a better film had the script been stronger. There are still some intense scenes that work well and the tender moments between Eric and Lori and Cristofuoro and his wife