Rob Reiner: Three Decades of Directing
**Update: 10/30/2008 Rob Reiner's mom passed away. She was 94 years old. For more read here.
The following is a copy of my term paper on Rob Reiner for this semester's Intro to Film Course. It received an 'A' grade. Don't plagiarize, I'm best friends with Karma!
Rob Reiner: Three Decades of Directing
Rob Reiner has been directing films over the last three decades. Reiner has directed everything from cult classics such as “This is Spinal Tap,” and “The Princess Bride,” to memorable romantic comedies like “When Harry Met Sally,” and “The Sure Thing,” and these films only depict work completed in the 1980s. (IMDb) Reiner experimented with more serious films in the 1990s earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture with “A Few Good Men.” Most recently, Reiner enjoyed success with the heartwarming tale of two chronically ill patients who befriend and live timelessly in “The Bucket List.”
Beginning with “This is Spinal Tap,” the original mock-rockumentary directed in 1984, Reiner takes us behind the scenes of a fictitious and failing rock band. Reiner himself plays the part of “acclaimed commercial director,” Marti DiBergi. Reiner does not cameo as much as Hitchcock, but he does later play the part of “Wirschafter,” a publisher, in his 2003 directed film, “Alex and Emma.”
Reiner’s character DiBergi carries on band interviews with the infamous rock band “Spinal Tap,” which mocks the intellect of rock-stars, portrays every asinine rock cliché and the use of blatant seriousness is irony at its best. Reiner’s introduction of sophisticated sarcasm reemerges in many characters in his films. Even in a more serious “A Few Good Men,” Tom Cruise’s character, a hot shot Naval Lawyer who is a recent Harvard graduate, charms the audience with his wit and sarcasm. Jack Nicholson’s character in “The Bucket List,” is a self absorbed billionaire who uses sarcasm as a way of dealing with his own improprieties.
Reiner’s mockumentary was so loaded with rock-and-roll stereotypes that the movie became an instant classic. Virtually twenty-five years later, many of Spinal Taps stereotypes remain in today’s rock bands making “This is Spinal Tap,” near timeless.
Timelessness is also a trend carried through Reiner’s films. In the 1985 “A Sure Thing,” John Cusack plays a college student who hitches a ride across country in search of definite sex or “A Sure Thing.” The life altering journey forces Cusack’s character to mature and ponder the timeless quandary of love vs. sex? Even in Reiner’s 1987 multi-genre fantasy-adventure-romantic-comedy, “The Princess Bride,” the richness and romanticism of “true love,” is the thickness of the plot and is alone, timeless.
Although timeless, Reiner does not employ many grandiose special effects like a George Lucas “Star Wars” film. Instead, Reiner typically utilizes an entertaining plot along with charming and amiable characters to seduce an audience. Reiner’s dip into special effects in “The Princess Bride,” was maybe his most sophisticated until Rob’s recent world traveling “The Bucket List.” In “The Princess Bride,” Reiner delivers non-impressive mechanical-like giant rats or ROUS’s (rodents of unusual size), along with tame pyrotechnics and an elementary version of quicksand in his version of a “Fire Swamp.” As corny and simple as the special effects are, they actually add to the charm of the movie and the verisimilitude is never lost.
Reiner cleverly uses narration in “The Princess Bride,” to transport the audience from the real world to the fantasy world of a book in which the majority of the plot subsides. Reiner uses this narration sparingly but effectively by quickly reverting back to reality in the middle of fantastic suspenseful scenes. Reiner first uses speckled narration in the 1985 “A Sure Thing,” then again in the 1986 “Stand by Me.” (IMDb)
Reiner’s most recent use of narration occurs in “Alex and Emma.” Narration is again performed by one of the main characters and similarly draws the audience back and forth from a world depicted by the author of a book, to a modern apartment in which the reality of the author’s life plays the central role in the plot of both worlds. Reiner’s peppered use of narration in “Alex and Emma,” although creative is not as effective as in “The Princess Bride.”
Moving into the 1990s, Rob Reiner directs two patriotic and political films which seems a departure from his light hearted quixotic and offbeat comedies of the 1980s. However, even the seriously named 1995’s, “The American President,” follows a clever and humorous romantic storyline.
In the 1992 “A Few Good Men,” a story based on a murder at the very real Guantanamo Bay Marine Base in Cuba, Reiner is given the opportunity to portray a love connection between Tom Cruise’s character and Demi Moore’s character. Both characters work together as attorneys searching for the truth behind a suspiciously timed death. There is an undercurrent of sexual attraction but the audience is left guessing as the movie concludes without even a kiss between the powerful and attractive leads. This departure from love stories and feel good relationship films is refreshing and well done deservedly earning the movie four Academy Award nominations.
After such seriousness but sticking with a patriotic theme Reiner is back to his romantic roots with “The American President.” A politically partisan movie portraying the antagonist who is a conservative candidate as challenging Michael Douglas’s character, the President of the United States, on the Presidents burgeoning relationship with an environmental lobbyist played by Annette Bening.
The immediate and clumsy attraction between the President and lobbyist is playful, cute, and innocent, a theme of Reiner’s, but the social-political agenda in which the lobbyist pursues is as current a subject today as was in 1995. One line in the movie suggests that “in ten years time our combustible engines will be in a museum somewhere.” (Bening) With today’s price of oil weighing so much on Americans this could be another example of Rob Reiner’s timeless touch although serendipitous.
In the 1990s Rob Reiner also directed “Misery” and “Ghosts of Mississippi,” neither are romantic comedies. (IMDb)But early into the new century, Reiner once again tackles a romantic comedy with “Alex and Emma.” Rob’s skill at creating attraction and believability between the two love interests reemerges. With an unoriginal plot, Reiner is still effective at delivering a pleasant and jovial product. “Alex and Emma,” also utilizes a previously mentioned Reiner theme with Luke Wilson’s character using sarcasm and charm in an appealing manner to capture and sustain the audience.
Reiner’s latest film released in 2007, “The Bucket List,” collaborates a life’s work and delivers a masterful result. Reiner even utilizes modern special effects technology to place the two main characters in places all over the world from the Great Wall of China, to the Taj Mahal, to sub-Saharan Africa. Reiner does not skimp on the special effects in this film. But how can be because he was fortunate enough to cast two of Hollywood’s all-time great actors in Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as leads?
Everything in “The Bucket List,” from plot to characters, from lighting to camera angles gives off the vibe of professionalism. The film is passionate and thoughtful and does not come across as simplistic or trite as some of Reiner’s earlier films. Rob does not use tricks such as narration or memorable lines to deliver a quality product but instead makes a directorial decision to let the actors carry the film and it works to Reiner’s advantage.
Throughout most of Reiner’s films, he has been lucky or thoughtful enough to work with great writers and actors who deliver memorable lines. “As you wish,” from “The Princess Bride,” and “you can’t handle the truth,” from “A Few Good Men,” are two example lines which have permeated American culture.
Most, if not all of Reiner’s films are accepted by the main stream and loved by many. Reiner’s gift of directing appealing films with likable characters places him as a pop-culture icon.
From the wacky “This is Spinal Tap,” to the thought provoking “The Bucket List,” Rob Reiner has shown versatility as a director but his strength lies with romantic comedies. Reiner has proven with his experience in the 1990’s that he can direct more serious films with the respect of the Academy, but his roots of success remains his ability to move an audience to laughter and joy with witty humor and perfectly placed passion. Whether using narration and memorable lines or letting the actors carry the show, Reiner has proved that his directorial decisions are effective and successful.
The End.
Bibliography
A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. 1992.
Alex & Emma. Dir. Rob Reiner. 2003.
IMDb. IMDb Internet Movie Database. 1990‐2008. 10 July 2008www.imdb.com />.
The American President. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Annette Bening. 1995.
The Bucket List. Dir. Rob Reiner. 2007.
The Princess Bride. Dir. Rob Reiner. 1987.
This is Spinal Tap. Dir. Rob Reiner. 1984.
The following is a copy of my term paper on Rob Reiner for this semester's Intro to Film Course. It received an 'A' grade. Don't plagiarize, I'm best friends with Karma!
Rob Reiner: Three Decades of Directing
Rob Reiner has been directing films over the last three decades. Reiner has directed everything from cult classics such as “This is Spinal Tap,” and “The Princess Bride,” to memorable romantic comedies like “When Harry Met Sally,” and “The Sure Thing,” and these films only depict work completed in the 1980s. (IMDb) Reiner experimented with more serious films in the 1990s earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture with “A Few Good Men.” Most recently, Reiner enjoyed success with the heartwarming tale of two chronically ill patients who befriend and live timelessly in “The Bucket List.”
Beginning with “This is Spinal Tap,” the original mock-rockumentary directed in 1984, Reiner takes us behind the scenes of a fictitious and failing rock band. Reiner himself plays the part of “acclaimed commercial director,” Marti DiBergi. Reiner does not cameo as much as Hitchcock, but he does later play the part of “Wirschafter,” a publisher, in his 2003 directed film, “Alex and Emma.”
Reiner’s character DiBergi carries on band interviews with the infamous rock band “Spinal Tap,” which mocks the intellect of rock-stars, portrays every asinine rock cliché and the use of blatant seriousness is irony at its best. Reiner’s introduction of sophisticated sarcasm reemerges in many characters in his films. Even in a more serious “A Few Good Men,” Tom Cruise’s character, a hot shot Naval Lawyer who is a recent Harvard graduate, charms the audience with his wit and sarcasm. Jack Nicholson’s character in “The Bucket List,” is a self absorbed billionaire who uses sarcasm as a way of dealing with his own improprieties.
Reiner’s mockumentary was so loaded with rock-and-roll stereotypes that the movie became an instant classic. Virtually twenty-five years later, many of Spinal Taps stereotypes remain in today’s rock bands making “This is Spinal Tap,” near timeless.
Timelessness is also a trend carried through Reiner’s films. In the 1985 “A Sure Thing,” John Cusack plays a college student who hitches a ride across country in search of definite sex or “A Sure Thing.” The life altering journey forces Cusack’s character to mature and ponder the timeless quandary of love vs. sex? Even in Reiner’s 1987 multi-genre fantasy-adventure-romantic-comedy, “The Princess Bride,” the richness and romanticism of “true love,” is the thickness of the plot and is alone, timeless.
Although timeless, Reiner does not employ many grandiose special effects like a George Lucas “Star Wars” film. Instead, Reiner typically utilizes an entertaining plot along with charming and amiable characters to seduce an audience. Reiner’s dip into special effects in “The Princess Bride,” was maybe his most sophisticated until Rob’s recent world traveling “The Bucket List.” In “The Princess Bride,” Reiner delivers non-impressive mechanical-like giant rats or ROUS’s (rodents of unusual size), along with tame pyrotechnics and an elementary version of quicksand in his version of a “Fire Swamp.” As corny and simple as the special effects are, they actually add to the charm of the movie and the verisimilitude is never lost.
Reiner cleverly uses narration in “The Princess Bride,” to transport the audience from the real world to the fantasy world of a book in which the majority of the plot subsides. Reiner uses this narration sparingly but effectively by quickly reverting back to reality in the middle of fantastic suspenseful scenes. Reiner first uses speckled narration in the 1985 “A Sure Thing,” then again in the 1986 “Stand by Me.” (IMDb)
Reiner’s most recent use of narration occurs in “Alex and Emma.” Narration is again performed by one of the main characters and similarly draws the audience back and forth from a world depicted by the author of a book, to a modern apartment in which the reality of the author’s life plays the central role in the plot of both worlds. Reiner’s peppered use of narration in “Alex and Emma,” although creative is not as effective as in “The Princess Bride.”
Moving into the 1990s, Rob Reiner directs two patriotic and political films which seems a departure from his light hearted quixotic and offbeat comedies of the 1980s. However, even the seriously named 1995’s, “The American President,” follows a clever and humorous romantic storyline.
In the 1992 “A Few Good Men,” a story based on a murder at the very real Guantanamo Bay Marine Base in Cuba, Reiner is given the opportunity to portray a love connection between Tom Cruise’s character and Demi Moore’s character. Both characters work together as attorneys searching for the truth behind a suspiciously timed death. There is an undercurrent of sexual attraction but the audience is left guessing as the movie concludes without even a kiss between the powerful and attractive leads. This departure from love stories and feel good relationship films is refreshing and well done deservedly earning the movie four Academy Award nominations.
After such seriousness but sticking with a patriotic theme Reiner is back to his romantic roots with “The American President.” A politically partisan movie portraying the antagonist who is a conservative candidate as challenging Michael Douglas’s character, the President of the United States, on the Presidents burgeoning relationship with an environmental lobbyist played by Annette Bening.
The immediate and clumsy attraction between the President and lobbyist is playful, cute, and innocent, a theme of Reiner’s, but the social-political agenda in which the lobbyist pursues is as current a subject today as was in 1995. One line in the movie suggests that “in ten years time our combustible engines will be in a museum somewhere.” (Bening) With today’s price of oil weighing so much on Americans this could be another example of Rob Reiner’s timeless touch although serendipitous.
In the 1990s Rob Reiner also directed “Misery” and “Ghosts of Mississippi,” neither are romantic comedies. (IMDb)But early into the new century, Reiner once again tackles a romantic comedy with “Alex and Emma.” Rob’s skill at creating attraction and believability between the two love interests reemerges. With an unoriginal plot, Reiner is still effective at delivering a pleasant and jovial product. “Alex and Emma,” also utilizes a previously mentioned Reiner theme with Luke Wilson’s character using sarcasm and charm in an appealing manner to capture and sustain the audience.
Reiner’s latest film released in 2007, “The Bucket List,” collaborates a life’s work and delivers a masterful result. Reiner even utilizes modern special effects technology to place the two main characters in places all over the world from the Great Wall of China, to the Taj Mahal, to sub-Saharan Africa. Reiner does not skimp on the special effects in this film. But how can be because he was fortunate enough to cast two of Hollywood’s all-time great actors in Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as leads?
Everything in “The Bucket List,” from plot to characters, from lighting to camera angles gives off the vibe of professionalism. The film is passionate and thoughtful and does not come across as simplistic or trite as some of Reiner’s earlier films. Rob does not use tricks such as narration or memorable lines to deliver a quality product but instead makes a directorial decision to let the actors carry the film and it works to Reiner’s advantage.
Throughout most of Reiner’s films, he has been lucky or thoughtful enough to work with great writers and actors who deliver memorable lines. “As you wish,” from “The Princess Bride,” and “you can’t handle the truth,” from “A Few Good Men,” are two example lines which have permeated American culture.
Most, if not all of Reiner’s films are accepted by the main stream and loved by many. Reiner’s gift of directing appealing films with likable characters places him as a pop-culture icon.
From the wacky “This is Spinal Tap,” to the thought provoking “The Bucket List,” Rob Reiner has shown versatility as a director but his strength lies with romantic comedies. Reiner has proven with his experience in the 1990’s that he can direct more serious films with the respect of the Academy, but his roots of success remains his ability to move an audience to laughter and joy with witty humor and perfectly placed passion. Whether using narration and memorable lines or letting the actors carry the show, Reiner has proved that his directorial decisions are effective and successful.
The End.
Bibliography
A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. 1992.
Alex & Emma. Dir. Rob Reiner. 2003.
IMDb. IMDb Internet Movie Database. 1990‐2008. 10 July 2008
The American President. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Annette Bening. 1995.
The Bucket List. Dir. Rob Reiner. 2007.
The Princess Bride. Dir. Rob Reiner. 1987.
This is Spinal Tap. Dir. Rob Reiner. 1984.
After watching the movie, I decided to make my own list. This may sound a little shallow but one of the things I've listed in my bucket list is to watch all films which won in the Best Foreign Language Film category in the Oscars.
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Nothing shallow about that. I think it's rather productive. It may take some serious time however, so good luck!
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Watching movies is one of the most therapeutic things in the world.
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