A Sad Adieu to Rob Reiner (1947-2025)

 

                The entertainment world lost a major figure in films and television with the death of Rob Reiner, who passed at age 78 on December 14th along with his wife since 1989, Michele Singer Reiner. Born in 1947, the beloved actor, director and producer followed his father Carl as a mainstay of television, starting in the 1960s with guest spots on such popular shows as That Girl, Batman and The Andy Griffith Show before becoming a major figure on t.v. in the 1970’s with his Emmy-winning work as Michael Stivic (a.k.a. “Meathead”) on the biggest hit of the decade, All in the Family, wherein the progressive minded Michael’s frequent run-ins with his bigoted, boneheaded father-in-law Archie provided audiences with plenty of high comedy, as well as water-cooler moments for viewers to discuss afterwards. After leaving the show in 1979, Reiner would move into his even more rewarding period as a chief Hollywood director of the 1980s onward.

                Starting in the 1980s, Reiner created one of the best runs for a filmmaker ever, with seven consecutive hits from 1984-1992, starting with the prime mockumentary This is Spinal Tap and ending via his biggest financial success, 1992’s engrossing courtroom drama A Few Good Men. As tribute to Reiner, the author went to a local Long Beach showing (at the Art Theater) of the fifth Reiner movie in this run, the 1989 critical and box office hit When Harry Met Sally and, with a large, enthusiastic and bemused audience, enjoyed watching the influential and smart romcom for the first time, somehow missing this now-classic comedy over the years. Reiner deftly handles the choice directorial assignment, bringing the ace Nora Ephron script to life with verve while showcasing Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal to maximum effect as they mix comedy with more touching elements in perceptive, stellar performances that utilize Ryan’s upbeat and Crystal sardonic personas with some more thoughtful playing as they foster ideal chemistry while illustrating the evolution in the title characters’ unorthodox relationship over more than a decade, as Harry and Sally mature from their initial (just) post-college meeting to become friends dealing with dating life and marriage in the 1980s. Reiner also gives Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher a chance to shine as Marie and Jess, best friends of the platonic couple, who get possibly the biggest laugh in the movie with an unexpected sight gag involving a taxi that Reiner expertly-times with artful precision. Also, as a good son Reiner allows his mother Estelle to nail the film’s most famous line, which has gone on to place among the best-remembered quotes in cinema history (#33 on the 2005 AFI list). Although the film has a heteronormative vibe that certainly aided in its initial and ongoing success with the masses, the incisive manner in which it touches on the highs and lows of relationships and the impact they can have on one’s ego and life is made identifiable on a more universal scale thanks to the sage handling of the material by Reiner and a exceptional cast and crew, helping the film maintain a freshness and singular comic style that endures over 35 years since its release.

                One of the most interesting aspects of Reiner’s phenomenal run as director is how adeptly he mastered a variety of film genres, as in addition to the satirical Spinal Tap and the more serious Good Men he handled various other types of stories with equal aplomb. With 1985’s The Sure Thing, he helmed one of the more satisfying romances of the younger generation ilk, showing his skill in working with actors, thereby aiding John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga and Nicollette Sheridan in early-career boosts. Following this, working with Stephen King material for the first time, Reiner showcased a young cast of players to great effect in the intriguing murder mystery Stand by Me, before 1987’s romantic fantasy-comedy The Princess Bride, which did well enough upon release but became a favorite to several generations though physical media and frequent television airings. This prolific and rewarding period would continue with When Harry before a complete turnaround with his second King-related adaptation, the lively and scary Misery, with a terrific James Caan matching wits with the Oscar-winning Kathy Bates, before Good Men topped off this peak era for Reiner. After the disappointment of 1994’s North, Reiner would rebound with The American President, then continue as a noteworthy director with titles such as Ghosts of Mississippi, The Bucket List and LBJ, while also returning to acting on television, and in movies with roles in Sleepless in Seattle, Bullets Over Broadway and The First Wives Club among others. Rest in Peace to a major talent onscreen and off, Rob Reiner.