Credit: CBS Photo Archive (via Getty Images), public domain (U.S.), via Wikimedia Commons.
Hearing the recent news about Rob Reiner made me want to write about some of his work that has followed me since childhood.
Family & influences
Reiner, born in 1947 to a Jewish family in New York, was the son of Carl Reiner, an actor and director who was also a beloved figure in the Hollywood industry, best known as the creator of the successful comedy series The Dick Van Dyke Show. Reiner chose to follow in his father’s footsteps, studied theater and film in California, and began his career as an actor.
All In The Family
His first major and defining role was playing “meathead”, Archi Bunker’s liberal and intellectual son in law, in the classic 70’s series “All in the Family”. It was a hugely successful sitcom that dominated U.S. TV charts while winning acting and writing Emmy Awards. It stood out for using comedy to openly address social, racial and political issues, something rare at the time, and became one of the most influential television shows of its era. I first saw the series when I was in elementary school, and I still watch it from time to time.
Stand By Me
Reiner also directed the movie “Stand By Me”, one of my all time favorites. The movie is based on a Stephen King story and follows four 12 year old boys that go on a journey together, to find a missing boy’s body, so they can claim a finder’s prize. Their journey becomes one of self-exploration, as each of the four boys, deals with family, social, and personal issues. Being together at this moment in their lives may be the last time they are the same four kids, before growing up quietly pulls them apart, as each of them is heading to a different school. The movie great soundtrack features songs from the late 1950s.
This is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary movie directed by Reiner, about a fictional British self-centered rock band whose ambition is huge, while their talent is questionable. They are accompanied by Reiner who plays a journalist, interviewing them as they tour, on stage and off. One funny scene is when the guitarist of the band brags about how his Marshall guitar amplifier goes from 0 to 11, while other band’s amplifiers end at 10, thus making Spinal Tap’s amplifiers “extra louder”. The journalist then asks “but can’t you just make the 10 louder?”, funny stuff.
Contribution to later sitcoms
Besides becoming a cult movie, the mockumentary style that the movie helped establish was innovative, later became a defining feature of The Office, which adapted that documentary-feel. In fact Reiner confirmed that Ricky Gervais (the co-creator, writer, and original lead actor of The Office UK) told him The Office was inspired by Spinal Tap’s documentary style.
Streak of successful movies
Reiner also directed “The Sure Thing” (1985)- a cute college freshman romance story with the young John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga (that later stared on Melrose Place), “The Princess Bride” , the romantic “When Harry Met Sally” and the spine chilling horror “Misery” that showed his ability to handle dark, tense material. Also “A Few Good Men” proved he could deliver sharp, dialogue driven drama (“You want the truth?! You can’t handle the truth!” – Jack Nicolson). Together, these films show his rare ability to move between genres without losing his voice. He will be missed, RIP Mr. Reiner.