Some reviews were less favorable . David Ansen of '' Newsweek '' said , " While one respects the filmmaker 's small-is-beautiful philosophy , this story may indeed be too small for its britches . ... Beresford 's nice little movie seems so afraid to make a false move that it runs the danger of not moving at all . " Linda Beath of '' The Globe and Mail '' said Duvall 's performance was " fabulous , " but that the film was " very slight " compared to Beresford 's Australian pictures . Gary Arnold of '' The Washington Post '' panned the film , criticizing its mood and tempo and describing Buckley as its only true asset : " '' Tender Mercies '' fails because of an apparent dimness of perception that frequently overcomes dramatists : they do n't always know when they 've got ahold of the wrong end of the story they want to tell . " Many critics specifically praised Duvall 's performance . Sterritt called it " one of the most finely wrought achievements to reach the screen in recent memory . " In Corliss 's description , " Duvall 's aging face , a road map of dead ends and dry gulches , can accommodate rage or innocence or any ironic shade in between . As Mac he avoids both melodrama and condescension , finding climaxes in each small step toward rehabilitation , each new responsibility shouldered . " Ansen said , " Robert Duvall does another of his extraordinary disappearing acts . He vanishes totally inside the character of Mac Sledge . " Maslin said he " so thoroughly transformed into Mac that he even walks with a Texan 's rolling gait " ; she also complimented the performances of the supporting cast . According to a review in '' People '' , " Duvall gives it everything he has , which is saying a great deal . His beery singing voice is a revelation , and his unfussy , brightly burnished acting is the kind for which awards were invented . " The review also described Betty Buckley as " bitchy and brilliant " . Duvall was praised as well for pulling off his first true romantic role ; the actor said of the response , " This is the only film where I 've heard people say I 'm sexy . It 's real romantic . Rural romantic . I love that part almost more than anything . " Reflecting on the film a decade after it came out , critic Danny Peary said he found Duvall 's restrained portrayal " extremely irritating " and criticized the entire cast , save for Buckley , for their " subdued , emotions-in-check , phony ' honest ' performances . You just wish the whole lot of them would start tickling each other . " In his book '' Alternate Oscars '' , listing his personal opinions of who should have won the Academy Awards each year , Peary excluded '' Tender Mercies '' from all the categories , and chose Michael Caine as deserving of the Best Actor honor for '' Educating Rita '' . In June 2009 , critic Roger Ebert included '' Tender Mercies '' in '' The Great Movies '' , his series of reviews celebrating what he considers the most important films of all time . He praised what he called one of Duvall 's most understated performances , as well as Foote 's minimalist storytelling and the restraint and patience of Beresford 's direction . Ebert said of Foote 's screenplay , " The down-to-earth quality of his characters drew attention away from his minimalist storytelling ; all the frills were stripped away . ... Rarely does a movie elaborate less and explain more than '' Tender Mercies '' . " The 56th Academy Award nominations were announced about ten months after '' Tender Mercies '' was released . Little had been done to promote its candidacy : only four Oscar campaign advertisements were purchased ; all of them appeared in the trade journal '' Variety '' , and Duvall had declined to campaign for himself or the film . Beresford and studio executives were surprised when the film was nominated for five Academy Awards , including Best Picture . Harper was believed by some to be a strong contender for either Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress , but ultimately she was nominated in neither category
56th Academy Award
56th Academy Awards
Tender Mercies