Tender Mercies is a 1983 drama, written by Horton Foote, about a down-and-out country singer who turns his life around with the help of a small-town widow. The country singer, Mac (Robert Duvall), is seen waking up broke, hung-over and alone in a rundown hotel early in the film. With nowhere to go, Mac soon takes a job at the hotel with the kind help of the owner, widow Rosa Lee (Tess Harper). The experience helps him to clean up his destructive ways and he and Rosa soon marry after he is baptized at her request. Now with a clear mind, Mac briefly considers leaving his new family to return to country music. However, after a chance meeting with his estranged daughter (Ellen Barkin), Mac vows never to hurt those close to him ever again. The ghosts of his past force Mac to make a decision that could lead to a more redemptive future.moreless
