From the NYT obituary: "Mr. Reiner, who initially rose to fame playing Meathead, Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, on the sitcom 'All in the Family”' in the 1970s, went on to become a remarkably versatile film director. He seemed equally adept at the mockumentary ('Spinal Tap,' 1984), the coming-of-age film ('Stand by Me,' 1986), the children’s classic ('Princess Bride,' 1987), the romantic comedy ('When Harry Met Sally …' 1989) and the courtroom drama ('A Few Good Men,' 1992)."
He contributed so much to the culture we Baby Boomers lived through in the 70s and 80s.
Here he is talking to Bill Maher for an hour and a half, just last September, on the occasion of the release of the 40-years-later sequel to "Spinal Tap":
MAHER: "It's great that they're all still here."
REINER: "Yes. It's a plus. It's a plus. Although we have a bit, we have a bit in the second one, which I hope you'll see at some point... where the, a guy who's a promotion guy... says to... them, listen, it will help your legacy if at least one of you were to die during the concert, because... you know...."
REINER: "Yes. It's a plus. It's a plus. Although we have a bit, we have a bit in the second one, which I hope you'll see at some point... where the, a guy who's a promotion guy... says to... them, listen, it will help your legacy if at least one of you were to die during the concert, because... you know...."
MAHER: "So true. I mean, it's the best career move anybody ever makes."
REINER: "Right. And yeah. And... Chris... as Nigel says... I don't wanna die. And then McKean as David says, but you settle for a coma. And he says, oh, well, that, that's very good. Thinking outside the, outside the literal box...."
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53 comments:
What do you like best of all the things Rob Reiner gave you?
He was the perfect foil to Archie Bunker.
There's a bit of Archie Bunker in all of us.
And Edith.
And Gloria.
And more Meathead than I'd rather admit publicly.
This hit harder than I thought it would.
Was just watching Dick van Dyke 100 specials featuring Carl Reiner. Wonder if the gift didn't last to the third generation, and Nick Reiner has spent his whole life feeling inadequate? CC, JSM
Probably the crazy biker "Snake" on the Partridge Family.
I don't know that Mr. Reiner ever did tragedy but now he's got that covered.
"What do you like best..?"
Hello! My Name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
I think the 'Hello' is the funniest part. The courteous Spanish caballero.
Interesting fact: Rob Reiner’s wife, Michele was a photographer and took the photo of Donald Trump on the cover of The Art of the Deal. They met on the set of When Harry met Sally.
Meathead.
His movies were great, but Meathead wins..
RIP, Meathead.
Has the followup to Spinal Tap been released?
If true, what a tragic way to go.
He was integral to three things that made an impact on me and US culture; All in the Family, This is Spinal Tap and Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth" monologue in A Few Good Men,
I read that their son, who had a long history of drug problems, may have done it. Drugs are a scourge on our society. Trump and Hegseth should sink a couple more Venezuelan drug boats in their memory.
Princess Bride and A Few Good Men. “You can’t handle the truth!”
What a shocking event. Another one, from this weekend. Make it stop.
When Harry Met Sally is on my short list of favorites. I was getting serious with my future wife I was…when I was quite small he did some little bit for something where he and Penny Marshall were pretending to be building a house together and they were walking around the construction site. It screwed me up for a long time, believing they were a couple…
Reiner was a nice guy and way more talented than the average nepo baby in Hollywood. I watched Princess Bride with the grandkids more times than I can count. I have that and Spinal Tap on tape DVD and Blu-Ray. He had Dodgers season tickets in the seats next to my buddy Dan’s season ticket seats. Always gracious and humble in person. RIP Meathead.
A close college friend and his sweet wife met the same fate at the hands of their son. I have been unable to think of anything else since I saw this news. These were dear sweet people, and the son had been through a nightmare of physical pain and stress from medical problems, and was a deeply troubled drug abuser to boot.
Reiner left a wake in his passing, and we cherish his work while we disagree with his strongly expressed progressivism.
RIP to Rob and his wife. They deserved better. We all do.
Myrna's beau, Sheldn, on The Odd Couple.
‘This one goes to 11.’
Very sad - loved Spinal Tap and the Princess Bride in particular.
Princess Bride and Spinal Tap. Such different and simultaneously hilarious products. Really didn't care much for Archie and Meathead once the novelty worse, and for me the novelty worse off quickly. Mental illness and illicit drugs are a chicken and the egg proposition. So sad. As was said above no one deserves this.
Stand by Me. IMO, Best adaptation of Stephen King and best child and young actor cast ever. Really captured American boomer boyhood in all its joys and fears.
This was a gut punch. Normally, I couldn't GAF about celebrity tragedy. I see that I'm not the only one here.
Wore off, not worse off. Damned autocorrect.
This Is Spinal Tap is my favorite Reiner movie. He invented the mockumentary genre. They even released an album. The Black Album.
They are like the anti-Beatles. With the blonde astrologist playing the Yoko Ono part. It is too funny.
"Always gracious and humble in person."
A banker friend of ours, a conservative, worked with him on financing some of his projects. She said much the same thing. She once had to call him on Columbus Day and started the call saying "So sorry to bother you on Indigenous People's Day," and got a good laugh.
His family is his legacy.
No one ever says they should have spent more time at the office... Right fellas?
He gave us so much. Politics aside, he was brilliant, kind, funny. Both he and his dad filled my life with smiles and laughs for years. A terrific director, writer, and a decent actor. I know it's been played and played and overplayed, but I think "When Harry met Sally" is a great movie. Perfectly made. He didn't write the script, but he did direct it. And it had one of my favorite lines with the late, great Bruno Kirby shouting out his answer to that 'Pictionary'-type game, "Baby Fish Breath!". A classic scene.
RIP to Rob Reiner and thank you for all you gave us.
I have four Reiner movies I rate very highly in my movie book. While Tap is my favorite, the other three are just as notable.
I'm a huge fan of the The Princess Bride. It's a romantic fable rom-com. That is very hard to do. I don't know how many of those you have seen. The way Reiner worked it, he crafted a nice framing scenario where Peter Falk is reading the story to his grandson. Beautiful. Well done.
I also really like Stand by Me, the best Stephen King adaptation. It's a beautiful coming-of-age story. Really well done.
A Few Good Men is another Reiner movie worth your time. Based on a true story, it's a terrific courtroom drama. Cruise is really young in that movie. His scenes with Nicholson are on fire. And Nicholson as a bad guy? Wow.
Rob Reiner was a very fine artist in the 20th century. He and his father Carl were like comic royalty. RIP, brother.
As Conservatives, we should never celebrate the deaths of lefties. We should try to win them over with our ideas. It’s embarrassing to see our side stomp on his grave.
I think "When Harry met Sally" is a great movie. Perfectly made. He didn't write the script, but he did direct it.
Agreed. That's another fantastic film he did. All the other Nora Ephron films make me (slightly) nauseous. He took her screenplay and crafted something amazing. I'll give you an example. There's no way in hell Nora Ephron wrote this scene.
Reiner was a comic genius with improv. He's been gone as an artist for 25 years. But his death makes me want to go back and watch his old films. So good.
"It’s embarrassing to see our side stomp on his grave."
I haven't seen a single person do that.
I haven't seen a single person do that.
Not from our side, anyway. (You might want to avoid the cafe thread).
when I was quite small he did some little bit for something where he and Penny Marshall were pretending to be building a house together and they were walking around the construction site. It screwed me up for a long time, believing they were a couple…
At the risk of screwing you up again, they were a couple. She was his first wife. And they got divorced. Reiner got so wrecked by that, he was having trouble with the happy ending in When Harry Met Sally. And what saved him was that he fell in love on the movie shoot with the woman who became his second wife -- Michele Reiner. She was murdered with him yesterday, RIP.
People is still the only news source that is reporting that Nick is the killer. And they were saying that last night. No legitimate news source is agreeing with them. The investigation has just started and nobody has been arrested or even detained as a suspect.
The Princess Bride is a wonderful film. In the age of endless Hollywood reboots, my friends and I have largely agreed that a reboot or remake of The Princess Bride would be the worst travesty of them all.
New York Post is reporting that Nick is a "person of interest."
I think the Post is playing it straight and People ought to stick to the publicity shit. Investigative journalism is way over your head. You might be right, but if you're wrong, that's a multi-million dollar lawsuit.
He has a druggie past, so of course he's a person of interest. But if the cops aren't saying he's the killer, you damn well shouldn't make up a story. You're out on that ledge by yourself, People.
Rob Reiner did an interview with Piers Morgan after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. He was asked about it.
"Horror. An absolute horror...I unfortunately saw the video of it and it's beyond belief what happened to him and that should never happen to anybody. I don't care what your politics beliefs are. That's not acceptable."
More Reiner: "What his wife said at...the memorial they had was exactly right. And totally I believe -- you know I'm Jewish -- but I believe in the teachings of Jesus and I believe...in forgiveness. And what she said to me was beautiful -- you know she forgave his assassin and I think that that is admirable."
"Olson Johnson is right!" @ 5:01 a.m. Yes! I have recited that line many times to my children. It's very hard to choose between his great movies. "Spinal Tap" is so good. I only saw this scene one time when it originally came out but it emblazoned itself in my brain.
This is kind of ominous, given the loathing of baby boomers by the younger gens. Or at least the loathing that social media is trying to gin up.
I agreed with him on pretty much nothing, but I cherish his work. He will be missed.
Attended the funeral last Friday of a good friend’s son, named Charlie, about the same age as Nick, same life trajectory. The parents have been through hell for years.
Last night, an ambulance carted away my across the street neighbor, for the sixth time this year…a 35 year old addict who never leaves the house. This is a five alarm fire in our nation, and kudos to the Trump administration for actually do8ng something about it. RIP Rob and Michelle.
The high point of A Few Good Men, expanded from the screenplay script presumably by the staff:
You know, it just hit me. She outranks you, Danny! I want to tell you something. Listen well. You're a very lucky man. There is nothing sexier then a woman you have to salute in the morning. Promote 'em all, I say! If you've never had a blowjob from a superior officer, - you've missed the best in life.
The Princess Bride is my favorite movie. It feels like magic.
This is such a terrible thing.
At least he made it to 78, and didn't end up like Gene Hackman. So there's that.
Frankly, I never liked any of his movies and but most people loved them. The only one I really liked was spinal tap. As an comic actor he had one great role, so people over 60 will remember him as "meathead" till the end of their days.
I'll put this in the same box as Hartmann getting murdered by his wife and label it "Things you never thought would happen".
They must have had their son at a relatively old age. Reiner 46, his wife 36. When their son graduated from college they would've been 54 and 64. I dont know how that affects the relationship.
Reiner will always be Meathead to me. I entered my teen years during the run of All In The Family. Even in my youth I could recognize the importance and historical significance of that show. I know he made many great movies but I’ll never forget the nights with my parents watching Archie and Meathead reluctantly search for some kind of common ground in a humorous and meaningful way.
RIP Rob.
One of my first Althouse comments many years ago was that Archie was almost always right, and he was the hero of the show.
“The Sure Thing” is a very underrated.
"One of my first Althouse comments many years ago was that Archie was almost always right, and he was the hero of the show."
My recollection is that in the first season Archie was a caricature of the conservative neanderthal. But over the years he was depicted much more sympathetically, and Meathead became the butt of the jokes.
I enjoyed many of Reiner's movies, but I've slowly come to the conclusion that virtually all American culture after WWI has been dangerous, entertaining trash.
Not surprised there's no celebrating/vitriol for Reiner's death. At all.
Princess Bride is a masterpiece.
Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were killed by their son, Nick...
Well, at least they kept it All in the Family
Too Soon?
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