Max's Bar

Actually a terribly cute misstep in its childishness (I came here with practically the same opening line as the "movie" above me, so I'm trying to cover it up a bit) with a terribly likeable and well-acted central character. The centerpiece here is an adorable little bar close to a home for the disabled, so it's all armless and legless and together they overcome their daily hardships over a game of poker and a beer. Particularly in the current COVID era, which is only furthering the evolution of the delivery era, it's a sad reminder of the importance of regulars as a therapeutic group, a familiar retreat, and a space to understand the faults of others instead of forcing them to overcome them. Admittedly, it's a bit unnecessarily hokey at times, listening to the old cripples constantly making bristly jokes about their own disabilities and everyone laughing like it's the end of an episode of an animated series, but the ending, where the humbly returning bartender apologizes, is nonetheless a delight, that he's forgotten about them because of his backgammon career, even though they're his family and whatnot, so he won't be playing his crucial game tonight, whereupon they all announce that, fine, but they've all bet good money on him, so if he doesn't play tonight, they'll probably kill him. (25.01.2021)