Script Analysis: “The Tender Bar” — Part 4: Themes

A week-long analysis of the 2021 drama starring Ben Affleck and directed by George Clooney.

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:

Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Themes.

I have this theory about theme. In two parts. First, a principle: Theme = Meaning. What does the story mean? Second, while there is almost always a Central Theme, there are multiple other Sub-Themes at play in a story. Therefore the question: What does a story mean takes on several layers of meaning?

Time to ponder themes in The Tender Bar. Download the screenplay here.

Screenplay by William Monahan, based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer

Plot summary: A boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle’s bar.

Major kudos to Ava Regal for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.

To download a PDF of the breakdown , go here.

For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here.

For Part 2, to read the Plot discussion, go here.

For Part 3, to read the Character discussion, go here.

I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: The Tender Bar.