Rob Reiner, an ace in every position

I am in the process of finalizing the list of Best Movies of 2025 for the next newsletter.

But I couldn’t let the horrible death of the filmmaker and activist go by Rob Reiner78 years old, murdered, this Sunday (14), alongside his wife, Michele, by his own son, according to the People.

Living in Los Angeles gives you a strange feeling. It’s like being in a place where something important -for better or worse- is always about to happen.

Maybe that’s why North American fiction is so umbilical, why the country suffers from extraterrestrial invasions, natural disasters, apocalyptic attacks and the devil in four.

On the same Sunday, we had lunch and dinner with a great friend of ours, a talented Brazilian filmmaker with great stories. She left to pick up her daughter from home before heading to a Christmas event on the other side of town.

Less than an hour later, I saw the news of Rob Reiner’s death. Possibly a murder. When the director’s address appeared in the report, we realized that the house was very close to where our friend lives. We sent messages to see if everything was ok, if there had been any movement in the neighborhood and things like that. He didn’t see anything. I was already at the event. She was shocked by what happened.

Is this what they call “Eubituary”?

Perhaps. But I don’t have any personal history with Reiner, unfortunately. I never interviewed him. It was just a strange feeling.

And I was wondering about the actor-turned-director.

Rob Reiner He was such a good filmmaker, so good, that he never let his fame be greater than his films.

Very few directors have managed to move between genres with Reiner’s mastery.

It debuts with the biggest rock comedy in history, “This is Spinal Tap” (1984), which popularized the mockumentary genre.

For me, one of the three best comedies in history. If you like “The Office,” thank her.

And who in the first film already releases this classic scene?

Em “Count on Me” (1986), he filmed one of the great films about teenage coming of age and, in addition, one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King work.

He managed to be successful in a fantasy comedy, a very complicated subgenre, in “A Princess Bride” (1987).

Not satisfied, he then created one of the best romantic comedies in history: “Harry & Sally” (1989), with another iconic scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.

Far from wanting to be pigeonholed as a comedy director, Reiner reappeared with the claustrophobic thriller “Crazy Obsession” (1990)which revealed Kathy Bates to the world by winning her the Oscar for Best Actress.

Closing an insane sequence, the guy still came to me with “Question of Honor” (1992), courtroom movie with two giant stars, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, which also provided another scene printed for eternity:

I went to the cinema a few months ago to see the sequel to “This is Spinal Tap” and wrote what I thought right here in the newsletter.

I’m happy to have contributed. Paul McCartney agrees with me.

Rob Reiner is gone, but he will continue to exist in the same way as when he was alive: in the shadow of his unforgettable films.

Unfortunately, this was the free sample of the week.

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