The 5 Rob Reiner Movies You Need to Watch, Ranked
From the mid-80s to the early 90s, Rob Reiner ran the table with hits across every genre — romcoms, family films, and chilling thrillers — and even stole scenes in The Wolf of Wall Street. His genre-hopping legacy is back in focus.
Rob Reiner had one of those ridiculous hot streaks from the mid-80s into the early 90s where every few years he was reinventing himself: romcoms, kids movies, pitch-black thrillers, courtroom fireworks — the guy did it all. Before the director chair, he was Meathead on CBS's 'All in the Family' (1971–1979), and if you only know him as an actor, you probably clocked him as Jordan Belfort's dad in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. Quick reality check while we are here: despite a weird rumor floating around, Rob Reiner has not been murdered. He is very much alive at 78.
Five Rob Reiner essentials (and where to watch them)
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When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Reiner and writer Nora Ephron basically set the modern romcom template here, and yes, the diner scene still stops time. The movie follows Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) from college through a dozen years of near-misses and existential debates about whether men and women can just be friends. With Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby stealing scenes as the best-friend duo, it is a lean 95 minutes of jokes that actually land and character work that sneaks up on you.
Release year: 1989. Genre: romantic comedy. Runtime: 95 minutes. Writer: Nora Ephron. Supporting cast: Carrie Fisher (Marie), Bruno Kirby (Jess), Steven Ford (Joe). Streaming in the U.S.: Paramount+ and Starz.
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The Princess Bride (1987)
Fantasy, adventure, deadpan comedy — it is all here, and it is all endlessly rewatchable. Reiner adapts William Goldman's fairy-tale-with-an-edge about true love and high adventure, framing it as a grandfather (Peter Falk) reading to his skeptical grandson. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright make Westley and Buttercup feel iconic out of the gate, and the supporting bench is absurd: Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya), Chris Sarandon (Prince Humperdinck), Wallace Shawn (Vizzini), Andre the Giant (Fezzik), and Billy Crystal (Miracle Max). In 2016, the Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry as 'culturally, historically or aesthetically significant'.
Release year: 1987. Genre: adventure/comedy/family/fantasy/romance. Runtime: 98 minutes. Writer: William Goldman. Streaming in the U.S.: Hulu and Disney+.
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A Few Good Men (1992)
A barnburner courtroom drama from Aaron Sorkin (adapting his own play) with a cast built to chew scenery responsibly: Tom Cruise as Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Demi Moore as Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, and Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessep. The case? Two Marines on trial for the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay, with whispers of an off-the-books 'Code Red' order. It is twisty without being cute and unapologetically quotable — the Academy noticed too, handing it four Oscar nominations.
"You can't handle the truth."
Release year: 1992. Genre: drama/thriller. Runtime: 138 minutes. Writer: Aaron Sorkin. Supporting cast: Kevin Bacon (Capt. Jack Ross), Kiefer Sutherland (Lt. Jonathan Kendrick), Kevin Pollak (Lt. Sam Weinberg), Wolfgang Bodison (Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson). Available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Amazon in the U.S.
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Stand By Me (1986)
Adapted from Stephen King's novella 'The Body', this is the rare coming-of-age movie that actually earns the nostalgia. In 1959 Oregon, four boys — Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O'Connell) — set out to find a rumored body in the woods and end up confronting grief, fear, and the kind of friendship that sticks. Reiner trims it to a tight 89 minutes and gives it the space to be funny and bruised at the same time.
Release year: 1986. Genre: adventure/drama. Runtime: 89 minutes. Writers: Stephen King (story), Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans (screenplay). Supporting cast: Kiefer Sutherland (Ace Merrill), Richard Dreyfuss (The Writer), Marshall Bell (Mr. Lachance). Streaming in the U.S.: Netflix.
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This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Maybe the most influential thing Reiner has ever done: the mockumentary that turned it up to 11 and never looked back. Playing filmmaker Marty DiBergi himself, Reiner follows fictional British heavy-metal outfit Spinal Tap — David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) — on a calamitous U.S. tour that lovingly roasts the excesses of 70s/80s rock (yes, including the Zeppelin-sized egos). It feels so much like a real doc because so much of it was improvised; the running gags turned the movie into a cult classic and a blueprint for every music mock-doc after.
Release year: 1984. Genre: comedy/music. Runtime: 82 minutes. Writers: Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer. Supporting cast: Tony Hendra (Ian Faith), R.J. Parnell (Mick Shrimpton), Fran Drescher (Bobbi Flekman), Bruno Kirby (Tommy Pischedda). Streaming in the U.S.: Max (formerly HBO Max).
Quick bit of deep-cut trivia: Kiefer Sutherland shows up twice on this list, menacing kids in 'Stand By Me' and saluting sharply in 'A Few Good Men'. Range.
And if you are wondering where the darkness is in all this, Reiner also made 'Misery' — proof that the same guy who gave you Miracle Max can also make you very afraid of hobbling.
Beyond the filmography, Reiner has spent decades as an activist and fundraiser, backing a range of charities and advocacy efforts — not a footnote, just part of the full picture.
What is your favorite Rob Reiner film? Tell me below — and, yes, you can handle the truth.