Filmmaker Rob Reiner’s sudden death has prompted a rush of tributes, but one of the sharpest snapshots of his career came from writer Billy Ray, who framed Reiner’s early directing run as the kind of streak that almost never happens in Hollywood. Ray argued that Reiner’s first seven films all landed as hits, comparing the stretch to an athlete who can’t miss.
Ray’s point lands harder because it arrives amid an active homicide case. Reiner, 78, and his wife, photographer-producer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their Brentwood home on Dec. 14. Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with prosecutors alleging a knife was used and filing special-circumstance allegations tied to multiple killings. Authorities have said the case could bring life without parole, and they have not ruled out seeking the death penalty. A first court appearance was expected Wednesday, contingent on medical clearance.
In his essay, Ray held up the film list itself as the evidence, pointing to Reiner’s run from “This Is Spinal Tap” through “A Few Good Men” and describing it as seven straight shots on goal that found the net. Public filmographies place those first seven directing credits as “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), “The Sure Thing” (1985), “Stand by Me” (1986), “The Princess Bride” (1987), “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989), “Misery” (1990) and “A Few Good Men” (1992).
Friends echoed that genre-spanning reputation in a joint statement released this week, calling Reiner a “master storyteller” and stressing that “there is no other director who has his range.” The tribute also highlighted Michele Reiner’s role as a partner in his life and civic work, as colleagues tried to separate the enormity of the loss from the violence of the allegations now in court.
