Jennifer Lopez Heaps Praise on Ben Affleck Over Latest Film, ‘The Tender Bar’

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are all In on giving their relationship another go, and the Hustlers star Is even praising her boyfriend’s work on social media. Lopez took to Instagram on Friday to praise Affleck’s work In his new movie with Amazon, The Tender Bar, after she got a PR box for the film. “This is adorable from The Tender Bar,” Lopez said on her Instagram story. “Oh. A little note to me on what the movie’s based on, all this stuff from the movie in here. Cute.”

Included In the box Is a miniature bowling set, which ties Into a pivotal scene from the drama. “There’s a great scene in a bowling alley with Ben and the little boy (Daniel Ranieri),” Lopez continued on her Instagram Story. “Ben plays his uncle [and] they’re both amazing in the movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should. This is awesome. Thank you, Tender Bar.” Directed by George Clooney, The Tender Bar tells the story of JR (played as adult by Ty Sheridan) who looks for a father figure in his life, finding one in his bar-owning Uncle Charlie (Affleck).

Ben and Jennifer Lopez rekindled their romance in 2021 after she broke things off with her former fiance Alex Rodriguez. The Batman star began dating Lopez in 2002. They were quickly engaged the next year but didn’t make it down the aisle before calling it quits. Affleck went on to marry Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children: Seraphina, Violet and Samuel. Affleck and Garner went their separate ways in 2018. 

The actor says the two called off their engagement in 2004 because of the negative attention their relationship received at the time. “I would say it was about 50 percent [of what destroyed our relationship]. The idea that people hate you and they hate you together and that being together is poison and ugly and toxic and the thing none of us want to be part of,” Affleck said on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. “And who the f–– would want to have them to dinner? And what the f–– are they doing together?”

Affleck added that he had some apprehensions when it came to getting back together with Lopez due to his children. “Well, look, my responsibility to my children is the highest responsibility I have. So I won’t do anything that’s painful or destructive to them if I can help it,” he said.