Sadly Over-hyped

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

In Buffalo, Lori Cranston (Sophie Traub) is a troubled developed teen facing unwelcomed sexual attention from her boss and her mother Marsha (Arija Bareikis)'s boyfriend Gary (Michael Kelly). Eric Komenko (Jon Foster) killed his parents at 15 and is getting released from juvenile detention at 18 to stay with his aunt Teresa (Laura Dern). His arresting officer Lt. Cristofuoro (Russell Crowe) is certain that he's a psychopath. Eric is driving to meet up with Maria (Alexis Dziena) when he finds Lori in the back of his car.This movie wants to hold onto its secrets. The problem is that I don't particularly care. The first half is one long tease. The opening with Sophie Traub has a couple of compelling moments. Jon Foster has a quizzical look on him. There are many possibilities. The story has a very odd twist but not a thrilling one. Russell Crowe is essentially wasted in this movie. His character is unnecessary and the story may benefit without him. None of it really pulled me into this movie. If Sophie Traub could play it more disturbed, it could be an interesting character study.

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.

Eric Poole (Jon Foster), a young man who killed his parents when he was a teen is released from prison when he turns 18 (and after court evidence that proves that hard anti-depressives were the main cause for his acts). Out of there, and with good plans to rebuilt his life and go to college, he travels to meet a girl (Alexis Dziena) he knew while he was in custody. On his track there's the detective (Russell Crowe) who caught him and doesn't trust that this kid will not kill again. The third character in the story is a teenage girl (Sophie Traub) obsessed by this killer and she joins him on this trip where things can go really bad when his instincts seems to rise again. The somewhat promising "Tenderness" is a huge disappointment not in the way it presents its story - a quite good slow pace, tense, very mysterious and filled with some unpredictable things - but in the way it puts the elements altogether forcing situations, several things in which we can't trust or believe (and that's very strange considering the realistic approach given by the film). Sorry, but I'm gonna have to give some details and point out what bothered me here: What kind of juvenile facility would allow that sudden entrance of a girl into a men's dorm? Later we find out who she is and how she connects with the other characters. Horrible entrance for a character and an even worst departure when Eric's stalker reveals the other girl's real purposes (a ridiculous and unbelievable scene where the stalker sees Eric and the girl from a distance impossible to see anything way up high on a moving roller-coaster). There's more implausible moments and annoying parts, and countless things to be explained. I mean, all the girl wanted was to be Eric's girlfriend or she wanted to be one of his victims? I couldn't get this scenario and didn't like the ending. Prejudicial to the film was having Russell Crowe acting and behaving like a walking zombie appearing in a heavy clichéd role as the detective who not only wants to track down the young killer but also has to deal with a sick wife in the hospital. The young cast saves the film, specially Foster, who has the quiet attitude to play this tormented character.Merely pretentious and trying to show some intelligence where there isn't, "Tenderness" is not a good film and it doesn't deserve half the attention it might get. 4/10

The faceplate review of this film is excellent. It's an indie, slow moving, full of tristesse and dysfunctional people. The underlying theme song might have been the Beatle's classic, "Strawberry Fields," with its haunting theme, "Nothing is real..." Russell Crowe, a much better actor than most people are willing to give him credit for gives a superb but fleeting performance, coming in and out of the action created by the two focal characters, the pathological Eric, played by handsome, boy-next-door type Jon Foster and the suicidal nymphet Lori, played the young Canadian Sophie, whose ambiguous nubile sexuality adds an amazing texture to the story. The story itself is a trip through purgatory with injured, wounded souls seemingly coming out of the woodwork. A brief encounter with the wonderful Laura Dern as the cautious and aware Aunt Sophie adds to the movement of the story. This is excellent film-making and it will stay with me for a long time, albeit I can't say for a moment that I enjoyed watching it. However, it is a reminder that some things are worth more being experienced rather than merely enjoyed. We're left with the question, "are there really people out there like these wounded, dysfunctional souls?" And, the only answer we can come up with is "Perhaps." But, the greater lesson is that not all of us fit nicely into the social order. And, isn't that what purgatory's all about?