December 17, 2021 | R | 1h 44m “The Tender Bar” is George Clooney’s eighth directorial project. Adapted from J.R. Moehringer’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning memoir, it’s the story of how a young man came to be a writer. We’re introduced to the child version of said young man, J.R. (Daniel Ranieri), circa 1973, riding in a car with his mom, Dorothy (Lily Rabe). They’re headed to his grandpa’s (Christopher Lloyd) house in Manhasset, on Long Island, New York, because she wasn’t able to make rent for five months. Grandpa’s house is sort of like the Weasely family’s in the “Harry Potter” books, minus the magic. Or TV’s “Shameless” family—always packed to the rafters with family and friends. There’s always a din and hubbub happening, with grandpa sitting in the middle of it all, cheerily committing acts of flatulence and placing the blame elsewhere. The Bartender Ben Affleck, the, er, titular bartender—Tender Bar, …