Remembering the treasured films of Rob Reiner

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In the aftermath of the deaths last weekend of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz offers an appreciation of Reiner's unparalleled career and life in the movies:

Rob Reiner entered America's collective consciousness in 1971, playing Mike Stivic, Archie Bunker's son-in-law, and politically liberal foil, on "All in the Family."

Mike: "It's getting like politics in American is only for the rich."
Archie: "Who's been feeding you that commie crapola?"
Mike: "President Eisenhower said that."
Archie: "He did not! Eisenhower was a great president who never said nothing."

Even then, Reiner knew that, as good as he was in front of the camera, he wanted to direct. His feature debut as a director came in 1984 with "This Is Spinal Tap," a parody of a documentary that delivered one of the funniest scenes in movie history:

Nigel (Christopher Guest): "This is very, very special. Because as you can see, the numbers all go to 11. Look, right across the board, 11, 11, 11, 11."
Marty: (Reiner): "And most amps go up to 10?"
Nigel: "Exactly. … What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?"
Marty: "Put it up to 11?"
Nigel: "Exactly. One louder."
Marty: "Why don't you just make 10 louder, and make 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?"
Pause.
Nigel: "These go to 11!"

These Go To 11 Scene | THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984) Movie CLIP HD by JoBlo Movie Clips on YouTube

"Spinal Tap" began an extraordinary run that rivals the best directors in Hollywood history: Seven classic films in just 11 years, each standing the test of time, each possessing some piece of authentic humanity.

In "Stand By Me," an aching moment of friendship between two boys.

Milk Money - Stand by Me (4/8) Movie CLIP (1986) HD by Movieclips on YouTube

In "The Princess Bride," a combination of everlasting love … and revenge.

Inigo (Mandy Patinkin): "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

The Princess Bride (11/12) Movie CLIP - My Name Is Inigo Montoya (1987) HD by Movieclips on YouTube

Three of the movies Reiner made during that run of success contain scenes so perfectly shot, they've become part of our shared cinematic language. First came the diner scene in "When Harry Met Sally." The scene required Meg Ryan to mimic a woman faking an orgasm. After one take, Reiner went to Ryan and explained what he wanted: louder, more hand movements, table pounding. The button on the scene came from Reiner's mother, Estelle: "I'll have what she's having."

When Harry Met Sally... (6/11) Movie CLIP - I'll Have What She's Having (1989) HD by Movieclips on YouTube

Next came Kathy Bates, giving an Oscar-winning performance in "Misery." For the hobbling scene, Reiner gives us James Caan's perspective, tied to the bed, looking up at the benevolent mania of Bates' face.

Finally, in "A Few Good Men," Reiner did the seemingly impossible: directing Jack Nicholson to a performance as memorable as "Chinatown," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," or "The Shining." Reiner gave us a courtroom drama for the ages, and Nicholson an opportunity to shine in front of a new generation of movie lovers.

Col. Jessup (Jack Nicholson): "You want answers."
Lt. Kaffee (Tom Cruise): "I think I'm entitled."
Jessup: "You want answers?"
Kaffee: "I want the truth."
Jessup: "You can't handle the truth."

You Can't Handle the Truth! - A Few Good Men (7/8) Movie CLIP (1992) HD by Movieclips on YouTube

The truth about Rob Reiner is that, for many Americans, his politics were as well-known as his films, but not always as popular. A fierce critic of President Trump, there's no doubt millions of Americans disagreed (many strongly) with Reiner.

But here's the thing we can all understand about him: Rob Reiner was a patriot, an American who believed deeply in humanity; who believed in trying to make his country work as well as possible for as many human beings as possible.

You can see that aspirational political nature in the last movie of his remarkable run, "The American President," in 1995:

President Shepherd (Michael Douglas): "You want to claim this land is the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free."

The American President - The Final Speech by Lee Hoedl on YouTube

There is no easy way to process the family tragedy that took Rob and Michele Reiner. It is awful. Period.

The sense of loss is heightened by Rob's lofty standing in Hollywood. In a business that can induce backstabbing and produce enemies, Rob was nearly universally loved in the entertainment industry. I didn't know him as well as I would've liked, but he always made me feel like we'd been pals for decades.

His character was defined by his kindness, his humor, his compassion, by his own humanity.

Those are qualities that all of us love in his movies, films that maybe, in some small way, can help us find something that unites us in these unbelievably fractured times.

Watch the CBS News special "Rob Reiner - Scenes from a Life," airing Sunday, Dec. 21, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+.

Story produced by Gabriel Falcon. Editor: Emanuele Secci.

See also:

From the archives: Three with Rob Reiner (YouTube Video)
Watch three stories from the "Sunday Morning" archives featuring actor, writer and director Rob Reiner, including a 2010 profile in which he discusses his career, from star of the classic sitcom "All in the Family," to director of such hits as "Stand By Me," "The Princess Bride" and "When Harry Met Sally"; a 2023 feature in which Rob and his siblings, Annie and Lucas, talk about the legacy of their dad, comedian Carl Reiner; and a 2023 profile in which Reiner and his old high school classmate Albert Brooks reminisce about growing up in Beverly Hills, and how each became a major figure in comedy.

From the archives: Three with Rob Reiner by CBS Sunday Morning on YouTube