Heartland: ReelBob: ‘The Tenderness Tour’ ★★★½
By Bob Bloom
A word of warning: never, ever say that Richard Propes is a victim.
Propes, a friend for nearly two decades and an Indiana Film Journalist Association colleague, has survived spinal bifida, childhood sexual abuse and, most recently, cancer.
Propes, who also is a double amputee, is an individual who has every right to be bitter, if not extremely cynical.
Instead, he has turned his life into a mission to help others — especially children and survivors of domestic violence — and has now turned his focus to another impactful issue — medical debt.
In 1989, Propes started his Tenderness Tour, which after 35-plus years, still is going strong.
The documentary, “The Tenderness Tour,” which is screening at the annual Heartland Film Festival, covers his 2024 event in which he partnered with the group Undue Medical Debt, to help reduce the burden impacting many Hoosiers. According to Undue Medical Debt, Indiana residents are saddled with more than $150 million in medical debt.
When Propes learned that for every dollar collected, $100 in debt was erased, he made that the focus of his tour. His goal — to raise $1 million. That is a big leap for an event that usually collected between $10,000 and $20,000 yearly.
That, however, did not deter Propes, who set out in October on his 150-mile journey from Indianapolis to surrounding towns to meet people and raise money.
“The Tenderness Tour,” directed by Andie Redwine, does not focus solely on Propes. Rather, it spotlights his support team, the people he meets and random acts of kindness and generosity from fellow Hoosiers he meets along the way.
Propes admits that as he gets older the tour becomes more of a challenge, but he does not allow health issues or age stop him from performing an act that gives him joy. His passion and determination are on display. In public, his attitude is positive and gracious, though sometimes in private he does question his efforts.
The 2024 tour was a success, as he raised nearly $117,000, thus eliminating more than $16.7 million in medical debt.
His advocacy will continue as long as he can wheel himself from town-to-town charming people with his honesty, charm and wit.
“The Tenderness Tour” is not so much a tribute to Propes, but a positive lesson about the kindness and caring of people wanting to help others simply because they can — and it is the right thing to do.
For Heartland Film Festival showtimes and tickets, please click here.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.
THE TENDERNESS TOUR
3½ stars out of 4
Not rated: language