As Hollywood and cinephiles reel from the apparent homicides of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, we’re taking a look at Reiner’s filmography as a director — and not just the cultural touchstones, like A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, and The Princess Bride, or the cult classics, like This Is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me. Instead, we’re looking at the films overlooked by audiences or slighted by critics. Below, scope out our selections for Reiner’s underrated directorial efforts.
The Sure Thing (1985)
A young John Cusack got his big break in Hollywood with this road-trip romance, in which he and Daphne Zuniga play college students reluctantly crossing the country together. Reiner provides a rom-com more mature and sentimental than other teen comedies of the era, but apparently his handiwork wasn’t a Sure Thing at the box office: The film only netted $18 million. Currently not available to stream.
Flipped (2010)
After a quarter-century of hits and misses — and immediately after the box-office hit The Bucket List — Reiner directed this little-watched adaptation of Wendelin Van Draanen’s YA book of the same name. Any coming-of-age film directed by Reiner and set in the 1950s is going to draw comparisons to Stand By Me, but this year-hopping comedy-drama — starring Madeline Carroll and Callan McAuliffe as neighbors and young lovebirds with bad timing — stands on its own merit. Streaming on Kanopy and Howdy.
8 (2012)
As a progressive activist, Reiner was a leader in Californians’ successful effort to overturn Proposition 8, an amendment banning same-sex marriage. A few years later, he directed a filmed version of the stage play 8, a dramatization of the federal trial around Prop 8, starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. It’s a deep cut in Reiner’s filmography, but a perennially important one. Streaming on YouTube — watch the whole production below.
Being Charlie (2015)
With the news that Nick Reiner, Rob and Michelle’s son, was arrested for the murders of his parents, fans are revisiting the film Nick co-wrote and Rob directed. In a semi-autobiographical tale based on the younger Reiner’s addiction struggles, Nick Robinson plays a young man navigating substance abuse and the oft-nonlinear path toward recovery. The film earned less than $33,000 worldwide, but Rob called it “by far the most personal thing” he had ever done. Streaming on Tubi and Fandango at Home.
Shock and Awe (2017)
Another Reiner film that earned less than $1 million at the box office was this drama about the real-life Knight Ridder reporters who were brushed off but later praised for their investigation into the Bush administration’s justifications for invading Iraq. Reiner directs and stars alongside Woody Harrrelson, James Marsden, and Tommy Lee Jones, and fans of Spotlight might enjoy another true tale of journalistic persistence. Streaming on Prime Video, Tubi, Roku Channel, Fawesome, Hoopla, and Kanopy.
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (2023)
Who better to direct an HBO documentary about the life and career of comic actor Albert Brooks than a friend of nearly 60 years? Reiner profiles his old Beverly Hills High School classmate, and while the two men’s banter is a treat itself, Reiner also makes a case for Brooks being a pioneer of onscreen comedy, and he delves into the life story that informed Brooks’ brand of humor. Streaming on HBO Max.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)
The last film Reiner directed in his lifetime was a long-awaited sequel to his first, 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap. As in the original, Reiner and collaborators Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer ad-lib their way through a mockumentary about a fictional metal band. And though this film cranks the nostalgia up to 11, it only scored $3.3 million at the worldwide box office. Then again, the original film took years to cultivate its classic status, so perhaps Spinal Tap II will get its due appreciation in time, too. Streaming on HBO Max.
