It’s a bit difficult sometimes to rate movies by certain directors because quite honestly so many of them are so close when it comes to being labeled “good”. Rob Reiner has been directing films for long enough to have created a few lasting titles that people remember fondly. In truth you can’t really label all of them as good or bad since they all have redeeming qualities and deserve a good look to be certain that there’s anything wrong with them. Then you’ve got to figure that anything ‘wrong’ is a matter of personal taste and doesn’t always reflect against the director. That’s a big reason why the title reads “Our” instead of “The”.
When taking time to account for what’s the best and what’s better left unmentioned a lot of bias does come into the picture and it can sway a list like this without much effort. That’s why it’s best to say and justify why such picks are made and just what makes them sit where they do on the list. It can be noted that Reiner’s films are all quite entertaining in some way but there are those that are a little more when it comes to the subject matter and the manner in which it’s presented. After all it would be hard to rate a buddy film with a war film or a tragedy with a love story. They’re all a part of the same creative process but the manner in which they branch off is still unique enough that trying to compare them is like trying to say why a banana is the same as an orange.
With that being said, here’s a list of Reiner’s best films.
5. A Few Good Men
Don’t be fooled by the place this film occupies on this list, the acting and the subject was very well-received and it was a great movie. The only reason it stands at number five is that among the choices here it’s one of the most serious and also one of the most aggressive movies when it comes to pushing its own agenda. The acting was great since Nicholson can take over just about any role he puts his mind to, but that’s perhaps the one negative that occurs. Cruise and Bacon, as well as Moore, are all great actors, but when someone epic like Nicholson comes along it seems their dials go down a few notches and they tend to get drowned out a bit. Just a bit.
4. Stand By Me
We were all kids at one point and we all did stupid stuff, right? Well even if you didn’t you can surely think that a lot of kids did. The time period in which this film took place offers up a lot of things that kids from the 80’s and possibly 90’s can remember in part, but the days when we could grab a bedroll and some supplies and just go out into the wilderness of our back yards is just about over. This film gets this place on the list largely because it’s a nostalgic look into the past that a lot of us either remember with joy, but it’s also here because out of the films selected it was kind of lighthearted for being a film about going to see a dead body.
3. Misery
This is kind of the bane of all authors in a way, the idea of meeting a fan that’s so obsessed with you that they’ll do just about anything for you, until you make them mad that is. Some fans don’t like it when you kill off their favorite characters, but this takes it so far that you can’t help but think that the word unstable would be a kindness and not at all indicative of the true psychosis that’s being displayed. This movie gets this spot because it is so psychotic, but it lags behind simply because in terms of being epic it’s still a step or two shy.
2. When Harry Met Sally
In this day and age, and even back when this movie was made, a lot of people don’t and didn’t believe in loving just one person, or in the idea of true love at all. The idea that men and women can’t be friends has thankfully been dispelled for the most part, but even so this movie is still a classic since it explored the depth of relationships in a way that was both comical and at the same time didn’t pull any punches when it came to the feelings of both individuals. Some people might get down on me for not making this the number one entry, but at least take a look at number one before making that decision.
1. The Princess Bride
Now tell me that this doesn’t deserve the top spot on this list and I’ll find a small army of people that will look at you funny and say that you’re wrong. Again it’s all subjective, but for the most part this classic fairy tale belongs here because it’s managed to touch millions throughout its time and still stands out as a favorite among those that grew up with it and decided to share the experience with others.
Rob Reiner certainly knows how to tweak people’s emotions doesn’t he?
