Eric Poole (Jon Foster), a young man who killed his parents when he was a teen is released from prison when he turns 18 (and after court evidence that proves that hard anti-depressives were the main cause for his acts). Out of there, and with good plans to rebuilt his life and go to college, he travels to meet a girl (Alexis Dziena) he knew while he was in custody. On his track there's the detective (Russell Crowe) who caught him and doesn't trust that this kid will not kill again. The third character in the story is a teenage girl (Sophie Traub) obsessed by this killer and she joins him on this trip where things can go really bad when his instincts seems to rise again. The somewhat promising "Tenderness" is a huge disappointment not in the way it presents its story - a quite good slow pace, tense, very mysterious and filled with some unpredictable things - but in the way it puts the elements altogether forcing situations, several things in which we can't trust or believe (and that's very strange considering the realistic approach given by the film). Sorry, but I'm gonna have to give some details and point out what bothered me here: What kind of juvenile facility would allow that sudden entrance of a girl into a men's dorm? Later we find out who she is and how she connects with the other characters. Horrible entrance for a character and an even worst departure when Eric's stalker reveals the other girl's real purposes (a ridiculous and unbelievable scene where the stalker sees Eric and the girl from a distance impossible to see anything way up high on a moving roller-coaster). There's more implausible moments and annoying parts, and countless things to be explained. I mean, all the girl wanted was to be Eric's girlfriend or she wanted to be one of his victims? I couldn't get this scenario and didn't like the ending. Prejudicial to the film was having Russell Crowe acting and behaving like a walking zombie appearing in a heavy clichéd role as the detective who not only wants to track down the young killer but also has to deal with a sick wife in the hospital. The young cast saves the film, specially Foster, who has the quiet attitude to play this tormented character.Merely pretentious and trying to show some intelligence where there isn't, "Tenderness" is not a good film and it doesn't deserve half the attention it might get. 4/10

"Tenderness" is a film that falls into the category of movies that could have been good but ultimately fail to deliver. It's a psychological drama that invites us to enter the minds and motives of three disparate souls who all seem to be reaching for something they are not sure how to obtain. So far, so good, especially with Russell Crowe in the cast. But the movie seems to meander, never really drawing us in as much as is we'd like. The main portion of the film is a road trip, pairing the main character - a teen recently released from a juvenile correctional facility after murdering his parents - with a young female admirer who alternates between annoying and creepy. They are surreptitiously followed by Crowe, the semi-retired cop who originally put the boy away. Crowe is certain the boy's trail of murder includes more than his parents, and that he will kill again. We watch the whole thing unfold, waiting for something meaningful to happen, but by the time the credits roll, we're left wondering why we cared in the first place.

Convicted as a juvenile, handsome young Jon Foster (as Eric Komenko) gets out of jail free, despite being a psychopathic killer. Lonely and abused teenager Sophie Traub (as Lorelei "Lori" Cranston) has become infatuated with Mr. Foster, and has been keeping a scrapbook on him. She decides to join Foster on a trip to look at colleges in upstate New York, by stowing away in the back seat of his car. Foster, who is also looking to keep a sex date with another female admirer, wants to get rid of Ms. Traub. But, as they travel, Foster becomes attached to Traub. Then, he learns she witnessed a crime... Meanwhile, police lieutenant Russell Crowe (as John Cristofuoro) follows the young couple. After helping put Foster in the pokey, Mr. Crowe developed a strange bond with the young killer. Crowe thinks Foster will kill again... "Tenderness" starts out by having you think it's going somewhere else. It also toys around with eroticism. But, the film is really more like a character study. Foster is a psychopathic killer who Crowe feels is apt to kill again, with vulnerable underage Traub the likely victim. Walking off with the best-written role, Traub actually provides Foster with some measure of salvation. The film is subtly acted and directed, looks great for the price, but stops short of excellence. The character played by Crowe is not drawn well into events; he and his invalid wife are far too detached from the main characters.****** Tenderness (1/15/09) John Polson ~ Jon Foster, Sophie Traub, Russell Crowe, Laura Dern

Firstly, i will say that i hate Crowe, i think he is an awful actor, so luckily he was not in every scene. If he had been i might have given the film a lower rating. Secondly, the story seems to drag on for a little too long, so perhaps Russell Crowe's part was stretched out too much for his ego. Thirdly, i have not read the book, so i don't have any preconceived notions about the story. i don't think their were any real mysteries at the end, all of it seemed to be perfectly clear from the beginning, so i was not surprised at all. The story started off with a lot of promise. A young man, Eric, is released from Juvenile Detention Center for the murder of his parents, which he committed when he was underage. Lori, the main female lead, has a hard life, especially with men, from her boss at her job to her mom's boyfriend. Our two main characters end up together on a road trip and this is where the film goes to pieces. We see too much of Crowe's character Lt. Cristofuoro and not enough of the main characters. If one of the main characters had had the voice-over, then perhaps we could have been privy to more insight into the world of Eric and/or Lori, thus the story might have made more sense by the end. The only thing that saved this film was the acting of the Jon Foster and Sophie Traub, and a minor appearance by Laura Dern. If you have nothing better to watch, then give it a try, but be warned that it isn't a mystery, but more of a drama.