Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Another serial killer movie but this one is different. A teen-aged boy, Jon Foster, murders his mother and father and perhaps others whose bodies aren't found. When he's released from a juvenile facility, the detective Russel Crowe is waiting outside for him with a kindly smile and a gift -- a crucifix. During an amiable chat, Crowe tells Foster that he's a psychopath and will kill again unless he's stopped. Crowe takes on the job, following him from Buffalo almost to Albany.Along the way, Foster has picked up a sixteen-year-old girl who has run away from a home she dislikes, although it seems normal enough to a viewer. The girl is Sophie Traub. She's plain of feature, not unattractive, and has a dumpy figure like so many teens, and she knows all about Foster's criminal past. Foster attempts to get rid of her but she's tenacious. He plans to kill her twice -- once with a towel, once with a hammer -- but each time is interrupted by the police. It doesn't take the skills of a mind reader to know that Traub has a death with. She lies on a motel bed, exposes her throat, and begs him to "Do it; DO it!" He doesn't do it.It has its moments, but frankly I don't get it. It's a turgid and sometimes confusing story. Laura Dern, my co-star, shows up in a small part. Crowe's wife has been in an auto accident and evidently is now a vegetable, although this has nothing to do with the story itself. I'd have to guess that the bedridden wife is there in order for us to see how tenderly Crowe washes her insensate body, then make an interpretive leap from that fact to Crowe's wanting to keep the boy in the slams to prevent him from damaging anyone else's family the way his wife has been damaged. I'm not the athlete I used to be and had trouble making that leap, succeeding only after three or four tries.If the young girl wants to be killed -- okay. We can all understand that. But Jon Foster's character is impenetrable. He rarely speaks and when he does it's some bourgeois bromide. I have no idea what's going on inside his head, except that he's ridden with guilt, which any certified psychopath wouldn't be. He has multiple opportunities to murder the blond girl but the only times he tries is when he's thwarted.The melancholic music -- including one of those sad, folksy ballads accompanied by a solo guitar, now arriving on the Leonard Cohen express -- tells us that everything is pretty bleak. And the score is right. It's depressing. Some things in its favor: it's far from being just another slasher movie. There's no blood at all. The characters are complex. And an ominous quality hangs over the entire picture. Some will find it artful.

I had high expectations for this film, reasons contributing include a leading role by Russell Crowe, a relatively high rating on IMDb and predominately positive reviews. Maybe the reason I'm scoring this 5/10 isn't because it was bad, but rather it did not live up to expectations.The beginning was good, as it introduced the characters well and left me wanting to see how the story developed. However, I believe the plot was average, in that it had much more potential, and Russell Crowes character was not utilised as much as it could've been. Of the three main characters, he appears the least. The ending in my eyes was a little predictable, but maybe that's just because I'm a film buff. Despite being a little too predictable, the ending did saviour some respect for this film. Overall, a slow paced film with which very little happens, which in a way makes you more likely to want to see the film through, as you anticipate something might happen. Not something to watch on a film night with family or friends, but rather a quick 90 minute film to pass the time by yourself.

Dreary and slow. What passes for thoughtful in indie land,its lesson seems to be this: some people are literally dying to get killed by really boring and charmless sociopaths.Everything fails, from the embarrassingly quanky music (two artsy-folksy songs under action made me blush and cringe) to the pedestrian camera work and editing to the WTF year-is-this?-costumes-and-hair to the casting of good actors in tiny parts,(better no Laura Dern than shooting with her for one day), to poor Crowe, looking puffy and depressed in sweater vest, 70s polyester, given absolutely nothing to do. Aside from moping and delivering a teen diaryish VO, this physical and vibrant actor is given nothing for his character. Sophie Traub is valiant in her efforts to give this heartless rust belt film some spark--but Jon Foster is a dead space on the screen and drowns everything around him in a kind of insidious averageness.

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