67 Comments
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Violet Hunter's avatar

His life, and contributions to comedy… went to eleven 🥺💚🫶

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Tasmin Gardner's avatar

I’m in shock. TCM was showing the movies of Christopher Guest the other night, and of course Spinal Tap was on.

I just can’t believe it.

As a child of the 70’s, I watched Reiner on All in The Family. Then in the 80’s, I loved all his movies, especially When Harry Met Sally.

Rob Reiner cared passionately about this country, and I respected his opinions, and advocacy. He was a good man. 💔

His documentary on his great friend Albert Brooks was wonderful.

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Sonny Bunch's avatar

And an important producer insofar as he cofounded Castle Rock. So many great Castle Rock Entertainment movies!

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Tasmin Gardner's avatar

That’s right! Such a tragedy. 😭

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Peter H.'s avatar

If you have access to HBO Max, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" just premiered on streaming this past Friday. Nothing will top the original, but Marty DiBergi is still a hoot! RIP.

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Josh Ehrnwald's avatar

That final scene freeze-frame with Reiner (he said vaguely, without spoilers) just brought such a huge grin to my face, as a longtime Taphead. God, what a loss.

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dlnevins's avatar

You can also get it on 4K or Blu-Ray!

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Michael Milligan's avatar

"I'll have what she's having", delivered by Reiner's mother, is one of the all-time funniest punch lines in movie history.

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jaj's avatar

And, of course, he was a brilliant foil to Carroll O'Connor in All in the Family. Their arguments about race, gender, education, and political corruption are still relevant today.

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Steven Insertname's avatar

And how to put on your shoes....

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Leah Eppestine's avatar

I could literally watch every one of these movies right now, though I can't even count the times I've seen them before. What a horrible loss!

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Michael's avatar
21hEdited

May his memory be a blessing. Thank you for this Sonny.

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Lisa's avatar

Of additional note, Rob Reiner directed Kathy Bates to a Best Actress Oscar award in “Misery.”

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Reba Clough's avatar

Classic movie, another fantastic Stephen King adaptation to the screen.

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Catherine's avatar

Yes, it was perfectly done!

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V J's avatar

spill the wine, dig that girl. sorry. the penguin was pointed the wrong direction, Caan was good, esp at the typewrite towards the conclusion. But, how did he get Bates to say

cocka-doo-di, And show affection for a swine, yet giggle like a girl and fight like her life

depended on it. long sentence, thanks, R Reiner, that film will be watched over many times by so many persons, it's a bit addicting, the sheriff, agent and that maul.

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Lynn T's avatar
16hEdited

What a wonderful tribute, Sonny. Thank you for writing it. This is such a tragedy in a week already full of them.

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Laura Vaught's avatar

I didn't remember the Wolf of Wall Street role until you mentioned it here. What an incredibly sad thing. This year needs to end.

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G. F.'s avatar
9hEdited

“This year needs to end.” Exactly, thank you.

So much downright evil has occurred this year. This blow really hurts, after all the psychic and emotional bruises suffered by, I’m sure, all of us here, this senseless death just did it for me.

The actual senseless physical bruises, and death dealt out this year underline the hurt with horror. And Mr. Reiner was always a fighter doing the right thing with his fame and fortune. Excuse the rambling, I’m dazed. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

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ngrovotny's avatar

An incredible voice and perspective.

Just one of those odd tiny shards of brilliance always stuck in my mind was in an All the the Family episode. He's eating dinner by shoveling the peas into his mouth, then the potatoes, then the meat... Archie watches in dismay, then gives a rant about how food should go down "mixed." RR just so perfectly nailed the, "Oh. I didn't know that." social response.

He did it again w/Spinal Tap, and that very abstract yet *specific* perspective came through so much of his work. Such an incisive guy--like he brought "meta" to the masses.

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Capitol Jill's avatar

Thanks Sonny… your tribute eases some of the pain I feel tonight about the loss of this very talented and caring man, along with his wife.

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Cathy Sisk's avatar

He gave the world so much joy. For him to be taken like this is just gut wrenching.

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RustBelttoBeerBelt's avatar

Beautiful point regarding Reiner's versatility. So underappreciated among the cinephiles. I would say that Spielberg could certainly match his verstaility. But not sure anyone else did. And Steven always got the plaudits for that versatility. Reiner's name, on any discussion regarding our great directors of the past 30-40 years, would always get short-shrift. Usually not mentioned at all. To his credit, it certainly never seemed to bother him, at least from what you clould glean in pulbic appearances.

The Scorseses, Spilebergs, Soderberghs, Camerons, Scotts, Tarantinos, Altmans, DePalmas all have their groupies. But at the end of the day, its about making great movies first, visual style can come second. And for awhile, nobody was banging out more rewatchable classics.

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Sonny Bunch's avatar

I almost wrote this and decided it would sound kind of sarcastic, but I meant it in a complimentary way: He and Kubrick are similar in the sense that they both have that classic versatility. Just genre-defining movies.

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JVG's avatar

A Few Good Men is one of my all-time favorite movies. In a generally sad weekend, this unexpected news is added pain. What could this incredibly talented man done to have inspired a double knife murder?

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Sonny Bunch's avatar

Sounds like family problems, very sad.

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JC's avatar

Beautifully said Sonny. Thanks for reminding me to watch his Mad Max scenes, that was cathartic.

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Addy's avatar

I’m 56 and grew up watching the work of the brilliant Rob Reiner. This senseless tragedy is gut-wrenching.

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