The entertainment world is reeling from the shocking deaths of TV star and film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. At this point, the facts of the case as they are known so far are almost too horrifying to contemplate.
Whatever happens in the investigation into the Reiners' deaths, this much is true and will remain true forever: The first decade of Rob Reiner's work behind the camera is about as good of a start to a filmmaker's career in Hollywood history. Thankfully, many of those movies he made in the 1980s and '90s are available to stream at home right now. (Many but not all; if you want to watch The Sure Thing, you might need to find a physical copy.)
Here's a rundown of six Rob Reiner favorites -- including his most recent comedy, which was just added to streaming in the last few days -- that you can watch at home right now in tribute to one of the most versatile and reliable American directors of the late 20th century.
Reiner wasted no time making an impact on Hollywood; his feature directorial debut essentially invented a comedy subgenre. There were fake documentaries before This Is Spinal Tap, but few as convincing in their conjuring of a reality and everything in it. Reiner directed the film and co-starred as bumbling documentarian Marty Di Bergi, who follows "England's loudest band" Spinal Tap (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer) as they embark on a disastrous tour of America. While Spinal Tap was not a massive hit in its initial release, it became one of the definitive cult classics of the 1980s, not to mention one of the funniest films of all time.
Reiner named his production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, after the setting of his iconic coming-of-age drama, based on the short story "The Body" by Stephen King about four young men -- Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell -- who set off to locate the dead body of a missing boy. One thing that unites all of Reiner's best work regardless of genre is his deft touch with actors, thanks to his own experiences in front of the camera. In Stand By Me, he helped his quartet of young leads deliver four of the best child performances in film history, and he rounded out his terrific cast with more great actors like Kiefer Sutherland, John Cusack, and Richard Dreyfuss as the narrator and the older version of Wheaton's Gordie Lachance.
Stand By Me is currently streaming on Netflix.
Like This Is Spinal Tap, Reiner's The Princess Bride was only a mild box-office hit in its initial theatrical release. Time and countless cable viewings gradually transformed it into one of the most beloved children's films of the 20th century. A kindly grandfather (Peter Falk) reads a story to his sick grandson (Fred Savage), which turns out to be the adventure of the brave Westley (Cary Elwes) to rescue his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of a gang of crooks, including fast-talking Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) and sword-wielding Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). Although ostensibly a film for kids, it has all the wit, romance, and swashbuckling excitement their parents could ever wish for.
The Princess Bride is currently streaming on Disney+.
One reason why it took Reiner a long time to get his due: Unlike some auteurs who rework the same themes and ideas over and over again, he was never content to repeat himself ad infinitum. For example: In between a post-modern fairy tale and a dark psychological horror film (Misery, one of his most underrated films), Reiner directed maybe the definitive romantic comedy of the late 20th century, When Harry Met Sally... Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan star as the title characters, who keep bumping into each other, always as friends, but then gradually begin to contemplate a more serious relationship. It's now one of the most imitated and quoted films of the 1980s, and definitely worth a revisit if you haven't seen it in a while.
When Harry Met Sally... is currently streaming on Starz.
Reiner met comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks in high school, back when Brooks was still named Albert Einstein, and the two maintained a friendship that lasted well over a half a century. When the time came for a career-retrospective documentary about Brooks, the task fell to Reiner, who assembled an affectionate and comprehensive portrait of his pal and pioneering comic filmmaker. In addition to great archival materials, the film features extensive conversations with Brooks and Reiner. It's so fun watching them kibbitz about their lives and Brooks' work, you might not want the doc to end.
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Reiner's final film as director was released just a few months ago. Spinal Tap II was already a nostalgic trip back to his directorial debut, and a reunion with the stars of This Is Spinal Tap. Now, given Reiner's death, it will play even more melancholically. Reiner directed and once again played documentarian Marty Di Bergi, who tracks down the former members of Tap and chronicles their preparations for a contractually-mandated reunion concert. Spinal Tap II is a long ways from the original film, but it's a sweet and funny victory lap for a great director who certainly deserved one.