The Top 5 Rob Reiner Movies, From ‘Spinal Tap’ To ‘The Princess Bride’

The tragic news of Rob Reiner’s death has left Hollywood in shock. Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their home on Sunday afternoon. The sitcom actor-turned film director made many of the most beloved films of the 1980s, many of which remain cult classics to this day.

Reiner’s best films all played a huge role in my own love for movies, and I wanted to pay tribute to the director by discussing the ones that I believe are his best, but certainly the ones that brought me the most joy over the years. All of these are incredible pictures that are incredibly rewatchable. Consider adding some of them to your watchlist this week, and let me know which Rob Reiner film you love the most.

You’ll notice some repeated names in the list below. Stephen King, Christopher Guest, billy Crystal, William Goldman. Reiner tended to work closely with writers and actors in a collaborative style that really helped give these movies their charm.

#5 – Stand By Me (1986)

Writers: Raynold Gideon & Bruce A. Evans, based on the The Body by Stephen King || Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% || Where To Watch: Netflix

“Suck my fat one, you cheap dime-store hood.”

Most of the films on this list are hilarious and/or romantic. Stand By Me – while it has its funny moments – is the exception. The coming-of-age movie is based on Stephen King’s story, “The Body,” and whenever I watch it I make sure to have a box of tissues nearby.

The performances from Stand By Me’s young leads are all exceptional. Both Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix had breakthrough performances, with Phoenix receiving universal critical acclaim for his role as Chris Chambers. Corey Feldman solidified his acting career following up films like Gremlins and The Goonies. This was Jerry O’Connell’s first role.

Roger Ebert praised the film, saying it was “one of the rare movies about kids that’s willing to admit how cruel childhood can be.” Stephen King himself, notorious for disliking adaptations of his books, had only praise for the film. When speaking of Reiner’s passing, he wrote ““I’m horrified and saddened by the death of Rob Reiner and Michele. Wonderful friend, political ally, and brilliant filmmaker (including 2 of mine). Rest in peace, Rob. You always stood by me.”

#4 – This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Writers: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner || Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98% || Where To Watch: HBO Max

“In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people… the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing…”

When Ozzy Osbourne was asked about This Is Spinal Tap, he said it hit a little too close to home. “Funny thing about Spinal Tap,” he told Conan O’Brien in a Late Night interview, “when I went to see it I was the only person in the audience that wasn’t laughing because it was really like a documentary to me. Those things actually happened [to me].” This is a common refrain among musicians.

The mockumentary-style film follows the misadventures of the fictional band, Spinal Tap, and its members Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) – and their unfortunate drummers – as they go on an ill-fated tour. The cast not only wrote the film with Rob Reiner, they wrote and performed all of its hilarious rock songs.

It’s genuinely one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, with too many gags to list here – from the tiny Stonehenge to poor Derek stuck in his bubble – and basically spawned the mockumentary format we’d see in later films like Waiting For Guffman, which Guest directed and starred in, and shows like The Office. A sequel to the film – Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – released this year, directed by Reiner and starring the original cast. You can watch both films on HBO Max.

#3 – When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Writer: Nora Ephron, Rob Reiner || Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88% || Where To Watch: Starz

“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Nora Ephron kicked off her career with When Harry Met Sally, going on to write other classic romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. When Harry Met Sally is her best, and helped turned Meg Ryan into a major rom-com star of the 90s. The film effectively redefined what audiences expected out of rom-coms, and while it may not have the same cult classic status as some of Reiner’s other films, it remains one of the best in the genre.

The major question the film poses – can men and women ever be just friends? – remains a hotly debated subject even to this day. Billy Crystal’s career also got a major boost. Before he played Harry Burns, he was known as a comedian and a star on the TV show, Soap. Nobody considered him a romantic lead. The film was originally titled, How They Met, but that didn’t stick, and Reiner even started a contest with the crew, offering a case of champagne to whoever came up with a better title. Who

The film had a sad ending initially, with Harry and Sally parting ways. After Reiner met his second wife, Michele, he was inspired to change the ending to a happier – if less realistic – one.

“It’s an amazing movie, I have to say, because there’s no plot,” Billy Crystal told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “In typical romantic comedies, they go through so much: their adversity, he had to move, he got drafted, he’s in the Army, he came back, they found each other again — no. The obstacle in this movie is themselves.”

#2 – Misery (1990)

Writer: William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King || Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91% || Where To Watch: Available on VOD

“I’m your number one fan. There’s nothing to worry about. You’re going to be just fine. I will take good care of you. I’m your number one fan.”

It’s funny, I’ve never really associated Rob Reiner with Stephen King, but two of his best films are adaptations of the horror author’s stories.

I remember the first time I saw Misery very well. A friend of my father’s worked at an audio/video store where they sold high-end TVs and sound systems and, at the time, Laserdisc players. This was before DVDs – the first commercial optical disc format, with discs about the size of a record. He invited my dad and some other friends to watch some movies at the shop. We watched a Western movie that I don’t remember at all, and we watched Misery. I was ten. I was terrified. I’m quite certain my mother would not have allowed me to watch it, but I’m glad I did. I’d never seen such a scary, suspenseful film before. I was probably a little bit traumatized, but I loved every second of it regardless.

Kathy Bates, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Annie Wilkes, was quite possibly the most frightening character I’d ever seen in a movie at that time. Both her and James Caan (who played the stuck-in-a-rut romance writer, Paul Sheldon) put in phenomenal performances. It’s still my favorite Stephen King movie to this day. There’s something so perfect about the stripped-down story, with mainly just two actors for the bulk of the film. It reminds me a bit of one of my other favorite suspense thrillers, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

King also had high praise for the adaptation, and ranks it among his personal favorite adaptations, alongside Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption. In fact, the author said he prefers the film to his own book. “The combination of Kathy Bates and James Caan was magic,” he told the New York Times. “And it had a touch of humor in it that was really missing from the book.”

#1 – The Princess Bride (1987)

Writer: William Goldman, based on the novel by William Goldman || Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% || Where To Watch: Hulu / Disney+

“You killed my father, prepare to die.”

No list of Rob Reiner’s best films would be complete without The Princess Bride. Like Misery, I still vividly remember the first time I saw the movie as a kid, sitting around the TV in my grandparents’ basement living room with a bunch of my extended family. I can’t remember who all was there, but it was a big group and everyone loved the movie.

I’m certain I didn’t even get all the jokes, but I was entranced. This was swashbuckling fantasy at its best, with a colorful cast of vagabonds, royalty and a beautiful princess. Indeed, along with Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) from Willow, Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) was one of my earliest Hollywood crushes.

This is the second movie on this list written by William Goldman (he also wrote the screenplay for Misery) but this one is actually based on Goldman’s book, which is quite good – though not as good as the movie.

My favorite story about The Princess Bride involves Billy Crystal (who continued to work with Reiner over the years). In the film, he plays the over-the-top healer, Miracle Max. Crystal improvised a lot of his lines with Carol Kane, who played his wife Valerie (but after what he just said, she’s not sure she wants to be that anymore either). These lines were often so funny, that Rob Reiner had to leave the room and direct remotely because he couldn’t stop cracking up and ruining shots.

Everyone in this film was magic, from Mandy Patinkin’s Inigo Montoya to Wallace Shawn’s Vizzini to Andre the Giant’s adorable, rhyming Fezzik and Christopher Guest’s Six-Fingered Man. The list could go on.

Honorable Mention: A Few Good Men (1992)

Writer: Aaron Sorkin, based on his own play || Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% || Where to Watch: Available on VOD

“You can’t handle the truth!”

Five is such a nice clean number for a list, so I’m including the legal drama, A Few Good Men, as an honorable mention. It’s not quite up there with the other five, but it’s still a terrific legal drama and widely considered the last of Reiner’s big hits. The cast was superb, including a young Tom Cruise taking on a more serious role than his usual fare, alongside Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollack, J.T. Walsh and, of course, Jack Nicholson and his infamous line (quoted above). It’s been many years since I’ve watched this one, so I’m adding it to my own watchlist now.

Rob Reiner will live on through his work, bringing joy to fans of these incredible movies for years to come.

What are your favorite Rob Reiner films? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.