Daniel Ranieri

The Tender Bar Kid

Daniel Ranieri, aka F**kin Lockdown Kid, is now The Tender Bar Kid. The Daniel Ranieri viral video led to director George Clooney giving him the lead in The Tender Bar film.

Ben Affleck Supporting Actor

And, get this, Ben Affleck plays the supporting role. Ranieri and Affleck steal the movie and do the same during a recent invite-only press conference.

During the event, Affleck says, "You can only be as good as the material, as the director, and the other actors." Then he turns to Ranieri, now 10, and smiles, "I met this guy, and he was so fabulous."

Ranieri looks up at Affleck and grins with pride. Adorable. Their electric rapport is the magic.

See for yourself by watching the trailer.

Cast members at the conference also include Tye Sheridan, who plays college-age J.R., Lily Rabe (J.R.'s Mom) and Christopher Lloyd (crotchety Grandpa), and newcomer Briana Middleton (J.R.'s first love Sidney).

Affleck generously praises others: "With Lily [Rabe], if you're lost or confused in scenes, as I frequently am, she's like a life raft."

Ben Affleck Talks Christopher Lloyd

Ben Affleck says Christopher Lloyd is the first celebrity he ever saw IRL. He was "walking around the streets of Boston. I assume doing a play there. I'm too shy to follow up with Chris and ask him that. I'm still too starstruck and intimidated."

Ranieri replies to how hard it is to star in a film.
"To be honest," says precocious Ranieri, "it was easier than I thought."

"That's why he's good," says Affleck.

"The first day I was nervous," says Ranieri. "After that, I said there's no reason to be nervous. It's easy. The rest of the scenes, I wasn't nervous. We filmed, had a good time. I loved the experience. It was so good. When my Mom told me I got the part, I was so happy -running around the house."

Newcomer Briana Middleton

When newcomer Briana Middleton is asked to share her experience she says, "I love the script, I love the book. Getting to be part of a cast like this is really exciting. Getting to bring this particular character to life in the body of a Black woman is exciting."

Ben Affleck Is Generous with Praise

Ben Affleck is generous with praise for other actors. For Briana Middleton, he predicts a long career for newcomer Middleton. "I hope that people remember this movie for a lot of reasons," he says. "But, I can promise you that this movie will be remembered for sure as Brianna's first movie." He goes on to describe "the nuances of her performance, the delicacy, the honesty, the elegance."

Also in attendance: brilliant screenwriter William Monahan, and producer Grant Heslov. Affleck has nothing but praise for them too.

Ben Affleck Deserves An Oscar

Ben Affleck deserves every nomination he receives. So far, he has been nominated for the Golden Globes Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. I'm rooting for him to win an Oscar. This is Affleck's best performance in his career.

Daniel Ranieri Rant Explained

Daniel Ranieri rant began as a viral video on YouTube. The potty-mouth Brooklyn kid's IRL mother grabbed her cell and recorded his profane rant about Covid lockdown. She then uploads it to YouTube. When Jimmy Kimmel heard about it, he had both Daniel Ranieri and his mom on the show.

See also: Tender Bar Co-stars F**kin Kid and Ben Affleck

'The Tender Bar' is based on the 2005 bestselling memoir by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and journalist J.R. Moehringer. Although this coming-of-age story holds the same sad circumstances in the book, i.e., poverty, absentee father, overworked mom, the movie is hilarious.

Its label says drama but it is a gallows humor comedy. Watch the trailer and decide for yourself.

The Tender Bar is based on the 2005 bestselling memoir by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and journalist J.R. Moehringer. Although this coming-of-age story holds the same sad circumstances in the book, i.e., poverty, absentee father, overworked mom, the movie is hilarious.

Its label says drama but it is a gallows humor comedy. Watch the trailer above and decide for yourself.

'The Tender Bar' is now playing in theaters and available for streaming online at Amazon.