Remembering Rob Reiner – How to Stream His Best Films
Rob Reiner was a genius. The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob worked hard to escape his father’s shadow. After an early break on the hit sitcom “All in the Family” (streaming on Tubi and Pluto TV), Rob Reiner cemented his own legacy as a director in the 1980s and 90s. Few directors have ever reached the heights he topped so easily in less than a decade.
To celebrate the remarkable life of Rob Reiner, choose any of these classics and press play.
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
This movie took the world by surprise when it debuted in 1984. Allegedly a documentary about the world’s loudest rock band, this comedy confused audiences who thought Spinal Tap was a real group. It walks a tightrope of cringey comedy, subtle jabs at the music industry, and relentless skewering of the rock star persona. If there’s a Mount Rushmore of comedy films, “Tap” belongs right up there.
Reiner directed this much-loved mockumentary and even appears in front of the camera as filmmaker Marty Di Bergi.
Keep your eyes peeled for cameos by Anjelica Huston, Fred Willard, Bruno Kirby, Paul Shaffer, Fran Drescher, and a young Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal as a pair of mimes. The movie streams on HBO Max.
$10.99/mo.+
Stand By Me (1986)
One of the best coming-of-age films features a wonderful young cast: River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, and Kiefer Sutherland.
Reiner had an amazing ability to channel the boys’ talents to help the movie land emotionally. And while younger audiences will relate to the children, older viewers will lock into Richard Dreyfuss’s narration.
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?”
Cue this one up on Netflix.
$7.99/mo.
The Princess Bride (1987)
There’s never been another film like it. Weaving between comedy, fantasy, swashbuckling adventure, cynical observation, and unabashed romance, this treasured classic is ultimately quotable and completely unforgettable.
You could argue that only a director of Reiner’s ability could nail all these tones so perfectly. Cynical filmmakers wouldn’t be able to hit the genuine fairy tale magic, sentimental filmmakers wouldn’t land the nods to the audience. It’s not a technically complex film – Reiner’s movies never are – but what it lacks in visual polish, it makes up for in absolute lovability. If you’ve never seen this funny, touching, wonderful film, put this to the top of your list immediately.
You can watch this classic with Hulu or Disney+.
$11.99/mo.
$11.99/mo.+
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Perhaps the rom-com to end all rom-coms. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are perfectly cast as a pair of romantic disasters who can’t seem to stop falling for the wrong people… until they fall for each other. And even then, it’s complicated.
With great supporting performances from Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby, a swinging soundtrack by Harry Connick, Jr., and the beautiful backdrop of New York City, this late-80s time capsule somehow feels timeless.
You know the old woman who has one of film’s greatest punchlines in the deli scene above? That’s Reiner’s mom.
You can “have what she’s having” with STARZ.
$10.99/mo.
Misery (1990)
After rounding the bases with so many comedy classics, Reiner decided to jump into thrillers, adapting another Stephen King story with remarkable restraint and making audiences writhe in their seats.
For her role as the romance novel fan willing to go to any lengths to preserve her favorite writer, Kathy Bates took home an Academy Award as Best Actress. In fact, her character was ranked #17 on the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Heroes & Villains list.
You’d hardly know Rob Reiner directed this, based on his earlier films. That’s the mark of a real master.
“Misery” isn’t available as part of a streaming subscription, but you can buy it and watch whenever you want on Prime Video.
A Few Good Men (1992)
Reiner next turned his sights on courtroom drama with a crackerjack script from a young Aaron Sorkin. With Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollack, and a fire-breathing Jack Nicholson, this movie is endlessly entertaining. It’s often boiled down to the “You can’t HANdle the truth” line, but everything leading up to that helps load the cannon before the explosion.
I’m also partial to, “Oh, I forgot. You were sick the day they taught law at law school.”
It’s hard to think of another courtroom film that packs this much energy. Reiner scores again.
Buy this one and add it to your collection through Prime Video. It’s not included in any streaming subscriptions right now.
“A Few Good Men” sadly brought Reiner’s golden touch to an end. His next movie, “North,” was so reviled, movie critic Roger Ebert famously wrote:
I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.
If you dare to watch this epic dud, Roku Channel provides it for free.
However, Reiner still rebounded with the well-received “The American President” with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening. If you weren’t alive in the early ’90s, it was a weird time when people thought a president could be cool and the subject of a movie. It was a whole thing. It’s not included in a streaming subscription, but you can rent it on Prime Video for $3.99.
The final movie Reiner directed was his only sequel. “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” falls well short of the original, but it does have some fun laughs and cameos from some of music’s biggest stars. Like the original, it’s streaming on HBO Max.
It’s also worth noting that Reiner did some fine work as an actor.
He plays Leonardo DiCaprio’s foul-mouthed father in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, Netflix, Paramount+, and free without commercials on Kanopy and Hoopla).
He also plays a small role in the beloved rom-com “Sleepless in Seattle” (streaming on STARZ).
Hollywood Reacts
The loss of a legend like Reiner leaves an enormous hole in the entertainment industry, and fellow celebrities lined up to sing his praises after his death.
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