LONDON, October 11 (Reuters) – George Clooney is back behind the camera for “The Tender Bar”, a coming-of-age story starring Ben Affleck and Tye Sheridan.

The feature, Clooney’s eighth as director, is based on the memoir of American writer JR Moehringer, who found replacements for his absent father at his uncle Charlie’s New York pub.

“It was good. It was sweet. It was nice, and I don’t often make films like that,” Clooney told Reuters on Sunday at the drama’s London Film Festival premiere.

“I wanted to have something that doesn’t necessarily reflect all the things we’ve been through. I wanted to have something that reminds us that we all love each other in general.”

The film sees JR, played by Sheridan and newcomer Daniel Ranieri, taken under the wing of his uncle bartender played by Affleck, and finding refuge in his establishment. Influenced by the stories told by the colorful cast of bar patrons, JR goes from an insecure boy to an acclaimed writer.

Making his friend Affleck the larger-than-life Uncle Charlie was a no-brainer, Clooney said.

“This character is really smart and he’s a little bit goofy and Ben is all of those things.”

Clooney said turning 60 in May caused him to reassess his priorities.

“Sixty changes the dynamic a bit. Amal and I talk about it all the time,” he said, referring to his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

“It doesn’t mean not to work, because working is really important to both of us, but also making sure that we spend time together and with our family.”

Released in theaters in the United States on December 17, “The Tender Bar” begins airing worldwide on Amazon Prime from January 7, 2022.

Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Karishma Singh

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