Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan will pay tribute to filmmaker Rob Reiner at the Oscars.
Barbra Streisand is also in talks to honor Robert Redford.
The Academy Awards will be held on March 15.
While most late actors and filmmakers have to make do with a mention during the In Memoriam section of each year’s Academy Awards, some are considered worthy of more of a spotlight.
Rob Reiner, the director of ‘When Harry Met Sally…’ and other classics, who was murdered at his home along with his wife Michele in December, has been selected as one of those, with the movie’s stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan to be joined by others who worked with the filmmaker on stage.
(L to R) Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’ Photo: Embassy Pictures.
Following Rob and Michele’s deaths, a group of the director’s closest friends and collaborators, including Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and Albert Brooks, released a joint statement:
“Absorbing all he had learned from his father Carl and his mentor Norman Lear, Rob Reiner not only was a great comic actor, he became a master storyteller. There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever. Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”
When and where can I see the Oscars this year?
The Academy Awards will air live March 15th on ABC and Hulu.
The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony will be televised live by ABC and streamed on Hulu.
Movies and TV Featuring or Directed by Rob Reiner:
Chelsea Handler hosts the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. Photo: CCA.
Preview:
Winners of the 31st Critics Choice Awards included ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Hamnet.’
‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Sinners’ also took home awards.
The ceremony was hosted by Chelsea Handler.
Though there were few surprises among the big winners at this year’s Critics Choice Awards, where ‘One Battle After Another’ took home a three big trophies (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay), the ceremony was nevertheless still a lively, energetic affair, hosted once again by Chelsea Handler.
Following a monologue from Handler that took shots at Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav and paid loving tribute to Rob Reiner and Diane Keaton, it was on with the show.
(L to R) Leonardo Di Caprio and Director/Writer/Producer Paul Thomas Anderson on the set of ‘One Battle After Another.’ A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Credit: Merrick Morton.
Benicio del Toro as Sensei St. Carlos in ‘One Battle After Another.’ A Warner Bros. Pictures Release. Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Paul Thomas Anderson – ‘One Battle After Another’ – WINNER
Bruce Willis in ‘North’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Eleven-year-old North (Elijah Wood) has had it with his parents (Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus). They are always busy with their careers and don’t give North the attention he needs, so he files a lawsuit against them. The judge rules that North should either find new parents or return to his own parents within two months. Thus North starts off on a journey around the world to find parents that really care about him.
Jennifer Aniston in ‘Rumor Has It’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Sarah Huttinger’s (Jennifer Aniston) return home with her fiance convinces her that the sedate, proper, country-club lifestyle of her family isn’t for her – and that maybe the Huttinger family isn’t even hers – as she uncovers secrets that suggest the Huttingers are neither sedate nor proper.
(L to R) James Marsden and Woody Harrelson in ‘Shock and Awe’. Photo: Vertical Entertainment.
A group of journalists covering George Bush‘s planned invasion of Iraq in 2003 are skeptical of the presidents claim that Saddam Hussein has “weapons of mass destruction.”
(L to R) Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas in ‘And So It Goes’. Photo: Castle Rock Entertainment.
Nobody likes self-centered realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and he prefers it that way. He’s deliberately mean to anyone who crosses his path and wants nothing more than to sell one final house and retire. His life turns upside-down when his estranged son drops off a granddaughter he never knew existed. Suddenly left in charge of her and with no idea how to take care of a child, he pawns the girl off on his neighbor, Leah (Diane Keaton) — but he eventually learns how to open his heart.
Nick Robinson in ‘Being Charlie’. Photo: Castle Rock Entertainment.
Charlie (Nick Robinson) is a troublesome 18-year-old who breaks out of a youth drug treatment clinic, but when he returns home to Los Angeles, he’s given an intervention by his parents and forced to go to an adult rehab. There, he meets a beautiful but troubled girl, Eva (Morgan Saylor), and is forced to battle with drugs, elusive love and divided parents.
(L to R) Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer in ‘The Story of Us’, Photo: Universal Pictures.
After 15 years of marriage, Katie (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her husband, Ben (Bruce Willis), have grown apart. While they keep up the facade of having a contented marriage, mostly to not worry their children, they aren’t happy together and argue frequently. While the kids are away at camp, Katie and Ben decide to separate and try to reassess their relationship to see if they should stay together or split up for good.
(L to R) Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson in ‘Alex & Emma’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Writer Alex Sheldon (Luke Wilson) must finish his novel within a month. If he doesn’t, he won’t get paid. And, if that happens, angry Mafia types to whom he owes money will come looking for him. In order to expedite things, Alex hires typist Emma Dinsmore (Kate Hudson) and begins dictating his novel. The book is about a doomed love affair between a character similar to Alex and a character named Polina Delacroix. But, as Alex falls for Emma, his work takes a different turn.
Morgan Freeman in ‘The Magic of Belle Isle’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
In an effort to tap into his original talent, a wheelchair-bound author (Morgan Freeman) moves to a rural town, where he befriends a single mother (Virginia Madsen) and her three kids, who help reignite his passion for writing.
A scene from ‘Flipped’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
When Juli (Madeline Carroll) meets Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) in the second grade, she knows it’s true love. After spending six years trying to convince Bryce the same, she’s ready to give up – until he starts to reconsider.
(L to R) Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
The now estranged bandmates of Spinal Tap are forced to reunite for one final concert, hoping it will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll.
(L to R) Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in ‘The Bucket List’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Corporate billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and working class mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.
(L to R) Whoopi Goldbreg and Alec Baldwin in ‘Ghosts of Mississippi’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers (Whoopi Goldberg) struggle to bring a white supremacist (James Woods) to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights leader.
Albert Brooks in ‘Albert Brooks: Defending My Life’. Photo: HBO.
Reiner profiles Albert Brooks, comedic legend, acclaimed filmmaker, talented character actor and a lifelong friend, who Reiner first met in their high school drama club.
(L to R) John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga in ‘The Sure Thing’. Photo: Embassy Films Associates.
Gib (John Cusack), a beer-guzzling slob, and Alison (Daphne Zuniga), an uptight Ivy-Leaguer, are an unlikely duo stuck together on a cross-country trip during Christmas break. At first they get on each other’s nerves but, as time passes, they find their divergent natures complement each other. Now they need to realize what they’ve already found before it’s too late.
(L to R) Michael Douglas and Martin Sheen in ‘The American President’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Widowed U.S. president Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), one of the world’s most powerful men, can have anything he wants — and what he covets most is Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), a Washington lobbyist. But Shepherd’s attempts at courting her spark wild rumors and decimate his approval ratings.
(L to R) Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman in ‘Stand by Me’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie (Will Wheaton), Vern (Jerry O’Connell), Chris (River Phoenix) and Teddy (Corey Feldman) encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys’ adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
Kathy Bates in ‘Misery’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
After an accident, acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by a nurse (Kathy Bates) who claims to be his biggest fan. Her obsession takes a dark turn when she holds him captive in her remote Colorado home and forces him to write back to life the popular literary character he killed off.
(L to R) Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in ‘When Harry Met Sally…’ Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that’s what Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry’s determined not to let his attraction to Sally destroy it. But when a night of weakness ends in a morning of panic, can the pair avoid succumbing to Harry’s fears by remaining friends and admitting they just might be the perfect match for each other?
(L to R) Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’ Photo: Embassy Pictures.
“This Is Spinal Tap” shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.
(L to R) Cary Elwes and Robin Wright in ‘The Princess Bride’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) and the dashing Westley (Cary Elwes) must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen (Christopher Guest), murderous princes (Chris Sarandon), Sicilians (Wallace Shawn) and rodents of unusual size. But even death can’t stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.
Tom Cruise in ‘A Few Good Men’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson).
(L to R) Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
Preview:
Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, have been found dead at their home.
Reiner was a noted director and actor.
His work includes ‘Misery,’ ‘Stand By Me’ and ‘When Harry Met Sally…’
Rob Reiner, the American filmmaker whose humane wit and classical storytelling helped define modern Hollywood comedy and drama, was found dead on Sunday at the age of 78. The cause has not yet been officially revealed.
(L to R) Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Carroll O’Connor and Sally Struthers in ‘All in the Family’. Photo: Sony Pictures Television,
Born March 6, 1947, in New York City, Reiner was raised inside the machinery of American entertainment. The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner and actress Estelle Reiner, he grew up absorbing the rhythms of humor, performance, and timing almost by osmosis.
He first became a household name as an actor, playing the opinionated, self-assured Mike “Meathead” Stivic on ‘All in the Family.’ The role made him a cultural lightning rod in the 1970s — but behind the scenes, Reiner was already preparing for a different kind of authorship.
Rob Reiner: Films and Creative Reach
(L to R) Kathy Bates and James Caan in director Rob Reiner’s ‘Misery’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Reiner’s directorial debut, ‘This Is Spinal Tap,’ announced a filmmaker with a rare gift for satire — one sharp enough to skewer ego and absurdity without cruelty. What followed was one of the most astonishing runs in modern American cinema.
With ‘Stand by Me,’ he captured childhood with aching tenderness. ‘The Princess Bride’ became a timeless fairy tale, balancing irony and sincerity with effortless grace. ‘When Harry Met Sally…’ redefined the romantic comedy, pairing adult intelligence with emotional vulnerability.
Reiner refused to be boxed into a single genre. He pivoted to psychological horror with Misery, courtroom drama with ‘A Few Good Men,’ and political movies like ‘The American President,’ each time bringing a classical sense of structure and character-driven storytelling.
(L to R) Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’ Photo: Embassy Pictures.
Beyond filmmaking, Reiner has remained an outspoken civic presence, unafraid to align his art with his convictions. His work often grapples with power, responsibility, and the cost of silence — themes that echo his own engagement with social and political discourse.
He has also been a tireless advocate for creative collaboration, frequently crediting writers, actors, and crew as equal architects of his films’ success. In an industry increasingly dominated by spectacle, Reiner’s reverence for story has only grown more pronounced.
Rob Reiner: Legacy
Jack Nicholson in director Rob Reiner’s ‘A Few Good Men.’ Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Rob Reiner’s legacy is not defined by a single masterpiece but by an extraordinary consistency of craft. Few directors have moved so fluidly between comedy, romance, horror, and drama — fewer still have done so while leaving behind films that feel deeply personal and universally beloved.
Reiner was found dead at home alongside his wife, Michele. The couple is survived by their children, Jake, Nick and Romy.
(L to R) Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
Movies and TV Featuring or Directed by Rob Reiner:
(L to R) Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
(L to R) Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
More than 40 years ago, Rob Reiner made his feature directorial debut with ‘This is Spinal Tap,’ a faux documentary – or a mockumentary – about the final American tour of an aging, dysfunctional, and generally tacky British heavy metal act called Spinal Tap. Featuring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer as the three main members of the group, and Reiner himself as filmmaker Marty Di Bergi, who is ‘directing’ the doc, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ not only was a brilliantly funny satire of documentaries but an acidic look at the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that is required viewing for heavy rockers to this day.
Four decades and many projects later for all involved, the venerable metal squad returns in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,’ in which the band – due to a contractual glitch – have to reunite for one last show despite not speaking with each other in 15 years. It’s a difficult lift to try and recapture the absurdist magic of the original film, and Reiner and company don’t quite do that. But they manage to pull together a bunch of funny moments and create an affectionate and warm tribute to the ‘band’ that will leave fans smiling.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
As in the first film, the ‘story’ is only a loose thread on which to string together the various sketches and character bits that paint a portrait of the now elderly group (and their even more elderly wigs). Following the original documentary, Spinal Tap saw a resurgence in their career that they managed to milk for another 25 years – until one day, 15 years ago, lead singer David St. Hubbins (McKean) suddenly stopped talking to guitarist and co-founder Nigel Tufnel (Guest) for reasons unknown to everyone, even Nigel.
David now writes hold music and plays with a mariachi band in Morro Bay, California, while Nigel runs a ‘cheese and guitars’ shop in Northern England and bassist Derek Smalls (Shearer) is the proprietor of a London glue museum. But due to the management contract now held by Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman), daughter of late Spinal Tap manager Ian Faith (the late Tony Hendra), the band is obligated to play one more show. Can they pull it together, and will we find out why David ceased communicating with his elementary school pal Nigel?
The answers are revealed — and really don’t matter (the latter revelation is especially perfunctory and ill-staged). The real joy of ‘Spinal Tap II’ is seeing these comedians once again don the personas of this permanently addled, perpetually mediocre musical act. There are lots of nods to the original film: for instance, the band can’t find a new drummer – Questlove and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich are among those they approach — because all are terrified of joining the nearly dozen who have died in the past. Instead of his amps going to 11, Nigel now has a cheese grater hidden in the back of his guitar for a mid-concert snack and an ever-expanding collection of floor pedals.
(L to R) Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
Their new PR consultant (Fran Drescher’s Bobbi Flekman passes on returning in a brief cameo), an obnoxious blowhard played by Chris Addison, reckons that the best thing would be for one of the members to die onstage during the concert. That bit touches on the film’s underlying idea: when is enough enough? In an era where audiences are taking out second mortgages to go to one ‘farewell’ concert after another from aging rock legends, should these guys know when to stop?
Don’t think too deeply about that, because the film doesn’t. Reiner stages it just like the first one, with ‘candid’ footage of the band’s misadventures cut between interview sessions conducted by the rather clumsy Mr. Di Bergi. It fits pretty seamlessly with the first one stylistically, but the reversals and some – not all – of the jokes seem a bit tired. Still, the ones that land are often still hysterical, and despite what we said above, there’s something fun and comfortable about seeing these lads go at it once again.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
‘Spinal Tap II’ really belongs to McKean and Guest, with Shearer and Reiner there as steady support along with a boatload of cameos. It’s Guest who is perhaps the most surprising, as the befuddled Nigel displays another side to his personality that finds him yearning to be back in his cheese shop with his wife. McKean’s David still suffers from lead singer disease, most noticeably when Paul McCartney sits in with the band during rehearsals and offers some advice on how to strengthen a song – advice which David does not take kindly to (“He has a toxic personality,” sneers the frontman later about the affable, soft-spoken musical deity).
McCartney seems to enjoy being in on the joke, and there is a moment in that sequence where you can palpably feel McKean, Shearer, and Guest’s amazement that they’re jamming with a Beatle. The same goes for Elton John, who shows up late in the film but also proves a good sport in a twist on one of the first movie’s most famous sequences.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Photo: Bleecker Street.
We went into ‘Spinal Tap II’ thinking that Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer couldn’t pull it off, and that it would be a flat-footed debacle. That’s hardly the case. As we noted earlier, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ was a sort of lightning-in-a-bottle scenario, and at times ‘Spinal Tap II’ labors too hard to recapture that vibe. But we would also be lying if we said that this rusty but pleasant contraption of a film didn’t tap into our sense of nostalgia more than once – just like the bands it still sends up.
‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
(L to R) Chris Addison, Kerry Godliman, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
What is the plot of ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’?
Some 40 years after his film ‘This is Spinal Tap’ chronicled a doomed U.S. tour by an over-the-hill British metal band, film director Marty Di Bergi creates another documentary of the band’s reunion and final show.
Who is in the cast of ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’?
(L to R) Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
Of course, Tap being Tap (the band that is famously seen getting lost in the labyrinthine corridors of a Cleveland venue, and saw their Stonehenge set pieces constructed to slightly smaller scale than imagined), it hasn’t exactly worked out like that.
Still, production company Castle Rock has announced that the follow-up is now officially in production in New Orleans, as Reiner starts aiming to marshal that madness that comes when you have Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer making music together.
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What was the story of ‘This is Spinal Tap’?
(L to R) Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’ Photo: Embassy Pictures.
To give its full title, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ was a mock doc following the titular heavy metal band around as they tour their new album. The comedy that ensues includes them securing second billing to a puppet show and much talk of the fates to befall various former drummers.
The film stars McKean, Guest and Shearer as the main members of the band, David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls, and while there was an outline for each scene and certain points that had to be hit, a lot of the movie was improvised by the cast.
Reiner appeared on screen as Marti DiBergi, the filmmaker following the band around to document their few triumphs and many disasters.
Released in 1984, it makes regular appearances on or atop Best Comedy lists and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry and deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress.
Since the original film, there has been a DVD sequel, ‘The Return of Spinal Tap’, and an album, ‘Spinal Tap: Back from the Dead’ arrived in 2009.
The band has also toured a few times, but this marks the full reunion of Reiner with his stars.
What’s the story of the ‘Spinal Tap’ sequel?
(L to R) Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’ Photo: Embassy Pictures.
Almost nothing has been revealed about the new movie, though the official announcement carries the following logline: “after a 15-year hiatus, England’s loudest and most punctual band reunite for one final concert.”
Here’s what Reiner says about the new movie:
“I recently spoke to Marty DiBergi who said that he was more than happy to take a sabbatical from his position as a visiting Professor’s Assistant at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts to once again document Spinal Tap to ensure their place in the pantheon of Rock and Roll.”
Who else is in the new movie?
Sir Paul McCartney, in Studio 2 Abbey Road in ‘If These Walls Could Sing.’ Credit: Mary McCartney.
Given Tap’s wide influence on music (albeit in a comedy sense), it’s perhaps not surprising that a variety of famous faces from the world of music would want to cameo. We can expect to see the likes of Elton John, Paul McCartney, Questlove, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood show up, though the hope is that the cameos don’t detract from the main trio.
The ‘Spinal Tap’ sequel (could it be called ‘This is Spinal Tap… Again’? –– Rob, call us, we’ll figure out a payment plan for that idea) has yet to announce a release date.
(L to R) Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’
‘This Is Spinal Tap’ is widely considered to be one of the funniest movies of all time. Comedians cite it as a huge influence and musicians are quick to praise it too.
The pressure, then, to make a sequel to the 1984 release must have been huge on director Rob Reiner and stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer, who largely improvised their way through comic chaos, undersized set designs and an ever-changing roster of drummers as England’s “loudest” band go on tour.
While all involved have resisted such ideas until, Guest, McKean and Shearer have toured from time to time. Yet with the 40th anniversary of the first movie approaching in a couple of years, Reiner and co. have come up with something, sprung partly from those real-world concerts (or the relative lack of recent gig).
The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don’t you do another one? For so many years, we said, ‘nah.’” Reiner tells Deadline. “It wasn’t until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honor the first one and push it a little further with the story.”
(L to R) Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest in ‘This Is Spinal Tap.’
And that idea? “They’ve played Albert Hall, played Wembley Stadium, all over the country and in Europe,” Reiner said. “They haven’t spent any time together recently, and that became the premise. The idea was that Ian Faith, who was their manager, he passed away. Ian’s widow inherited a contract that said Spinal Tap owed them one more concert. She was basically going to sue them if they didn’t. All these years and a lot of bad blood we’ll get into, and they’re thrown back together and forced to deal with each other and play this concert.”
The band aren’t the only ones returning as Reiner, in addition to directing once more, will also grace the screen again as Marty DiBergi, the fake filmmaker who was chronicling the band’s latest tour in the mock-rock-doc. Turns out, there’s some ill will there too… “The band was upset with the first film. They thought I did a hatchet job, and this is a chance to redeem myself,” says Reiner of his character. “I am such a big fan and I felt bad they didn’t like what they saw in the first film. When I heard they might get back together, I was a visiting adjunct teacher’s helper at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts. I drop everything to document this final concert.”
While returning to the world of a nailed-down comedy classic invites unwelcome comparisons and the risk of tarnished legacies, the idea of this bunch making merry, and music, again certainly appeals.
The original will be screened at the Cannes Festival next week as part of the Cinema de la Plage sidebar, and rights to distribute the sequel will be on sale. The current plan is to have the new movie in theaters on March 19th, 2024. No word yet on whether it’ll have to share the bill with a puppet show.
One of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time is now 30 years old. “When Harry Met Sally” is a terrific reminder that the best rom-coms are truly timeless. Celebrate this anniversary with some fun trivia about the making of this modern love story.
1. Both director Rob Reiner and writer Nora Ephron drew from their own personal lives while making the film. Ephron based Sally on herself and several friends, while Reiner’s struggle with his divorce influenced the portrayal of Harry.
2. Reiner has a cameo in the film during the New Year’s Eve scene. He’s the unseen person announcing that the new year is happening in ten seconds.
Columbia Pictures
3. Ephron originally envisioned the movie’s title as “When They Met.” Other potential titles included “Boy Meets Girl,” “Just Friends” and “Words of Love.”
5. Katz’s Deli still pays tribute to the film’s most famous scene by displaying a sign that reads “Where Harry met Sally… hope you have what she had!”
Columbia Pictures
6. That fake orgasm scene was added to the movie on the fly after it was decided Sally needed more to talk about in the deli. Meg Ryan chose the topic of conversation and Billy Crystal came up with the line, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
7. It took no fewer than 60 takes to pull off the scene where the four characters are talking on the phone simultaneously.
Columbia Pictures
8. Harry can be seen the Stephen King novel “Misery” in one scene. Ironically, Reiner went on to direct the film adaptation after completing “When Harry Met Sally.”
9. The scenes featuring couples relating how they met were performed by actors, but the material itself was taken from real-life testimonials Reiner collected.
Romantic comedies like “Sleepless in Seattle” don’t come around so often. The right mix of heart, humor, and chemistry is hard to master. Nora Ephron’s script and two magnetic actors (who barely share any screen time together, yet you feel like they’re deeply connected anyhow) make it a timeless classic of the genre.
“Sleepless in Seattle” was released 25 years ago on June 25, 1993. Although you probably think you know the movie inside and out, here are a few facts about the iconic Hanks/Ryan gem that will fill you in even more.
“I’d been offered ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ but couldn’t do it. [Meg Ryan] and Tom Hanks are just such a jewel of a fit in that. I guess what they did for that moment in time is sort of what Richard [Gere] and I were doing across town (in the 1990 film Pretty Woman), you know?” Roberts revealed to InStyle in 2014.
4. He eventually took the part, but later admitted he was “extremely cranky” while filming.
“Coming and saying, ‘Why does the kid have so many good lines?’ I had made enough movies to get smoked on a couple of occasions, as well as thinking that I was a big shot and ‘My voice must be heard,’” Hanks confessed in Erin Carlson’s book, “I’ll Have What She’s Having: How Nora Ephron’s Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy.”5.Nora Ephron’s voice was used for the radio caller “Disappointed in Denver.’
6.Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’ wife) auditioned for Rosie O’Donnell’s part, but as it was already taken, Ephron offered her the small — but impactful — role of Suzy.
7. The scene where Suzy cries about “An Affair to Remember” was the late Nora Ephron’s favorite moment in the film. “I think probably, in that movie, I like it the most [and it] is also the scene that plays the best,” she explained. Ephron felt the moment didn’t move the plot forward, but she knew it could work if the right actress nailed it.
8. Tom Hanks and Victor Garber ended up improvising their part of the scene. According to Ephron, they took what was around “two lines of dialogue” and improvised their jokingly weepy discussion about “The Dirty Dozen.”
9. A musical adaptation of the movie premiered in 2013 at The Pasadena Playhouse. The production is headed to London’s West End.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the release of “A Few Good Men.”
Landing in theaters on December 13, 1992, the military courtroom drama became director Rob Reiner‘s biggest hit, put future Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin on the map as a screenwriter, gave Tom Cruise one of his most memorable and best roles, and gifted Jack Nicholson with the most unforgettable line of his career.
Still, as often as you’ve watched Cruise and Demi Moore face off in court against Nicholson, there’s a lot you may not know about “A Few Good Men,” including the real-life story behind it, the script’s journey from cocktail napkins to the screen, or the time Kevin Pollak‘s mom hit on Nicholson while he was trying to play his courtroom scene. 1. The story is based on a real-life 1986 incident at Guantanamo Bay, one that is very much like the “code red” hazing depicted in the film. As in the movie, the victim was a Marine named Willie who had snitched about a fence-line shooting into Cuban territory. There, his fellow Marines, acting on orders, gagged him until his lungs filled with fluid. Unlike in the film, Willie survived the code red, thanks to treatment at six different hospitals.
2. Sorkin, then an aspiring playwright, learned of the incident from his sister Deborah, then a recent law school grad, who served in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps, on the team defending the accused Marines. Her story became the basis for his first play. 3. Sorkin wrote much of “A Few Good Men” on cocktail napkins while serving as a bartender at Broadway’s Palace Theater, scribbling lines while patrons sat through the first act of “La Cage Aux Folles.” He and his roommates pooled their resources to buy an early Macintosh desktop with 512K of memory, where he’d type up his napkin work and revise it.
4. Eventually, he had a play, which his agent sold to producer David Brown, who bought the film rights even before the show was mounted on Broadway, with Tom Hulce in the lead. The drama opened in 1989 and ran for more than a year. 5. Reiner (above) was drawn to the story because he identified with protagonist Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a Navy lawyer trying to live up to the example set by his legal-giant father. Reiner had spent the first two decades of his career toiling in the shadow of his comedy-legend dad, sitcom star as a serious filmmaker striking out on his own.
6. Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson may have been obvious choices to play the two main adversaries, but other roles were harder to cast. Linda Hamilton and Jodie Foster were both up for the role of Kaffee’s colleague, Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, before Demi Moore won the part. Moore, who was eight months pregnant when she auditioned, wanted the role because it was “genderless” and even agreed to play Galloway for just $2 million, well below her fee at the time. 7. For fellow lawyer Lt. Sam Weinberg, the filmmakers first thought of Seinfeld,” was renewed for a second season, Alexander became unavailable, so the role went to comedian and impressionist Pollak.
8. Reiner had a certain look in mind for an actor to play the honor-bound lead Marine defendant, Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson. He realized that the man who looked like what he wanted was right under his nose, in the person of Wolfgang Bodison, a former Castle Rock mail boy who had become Reiner’s personal assistant and a Castle Rock location scout. He’d never acted before, but Reiner auditioned him and cast him in his film debut alongside the likes of Cruise, Moore, and Nicholson. 9. Sorkin said he enjoyed working for Reiner, even though the director ordered him to make countless, rigorous revisions of his screenplay. One major revision: unlike in the play, where a doctored logbook is the smoking gun that gives Kaffee the break he needs, Reiner insisted that Cruise’s Kaffee win the case on courtroom skills alone.
10. Some of the revisions were rumored to have been written by William Goldman, the screenwriter behind Reiner’s “The Princess Bride” and “Misery.” Sorkin reportedly liked some of the changes so much that he incorporated them into later editions of the play. 11. Sorkin hated, however, the revision requests he got from the studio. One asked why Galloway had to be a woman if she was never going to sleep with Kaffee. Sorkin’s reply: “Women have purposes other than to sleep with Tom Cruise.” Sorkin did write one draft, however, that ended with Kaffee asking Galloway out on a date after the trial ends, but overall, he cited his dealings with Columbia on “A Few Good Men” as his worst experience as a screenwriter.
12. Much of the movie consists of indoor scenes shot on a Columbia soundstage in Hollywood, but the Washington, D.C. outdoor scenes were filmed on location. The building that plays the JAG Corps headquarters was actually a former psychiatric hospital. Years after the filming, it became the HQ for the Department of Homeland Security. 13. After “24,” it’s easy to think there’s nothing Kiefer Sutherland can’t do, but back in 1992, he still had trouble driving a Jeep. The scene where his Lt. Jonathan Kendrick escorts the Navy lawyers around the Guantanamo base had to be shot several times because Sutherland reportedly kept clipping the Marines playing extras.
14. The Guantanamo Bay barracks scenes were filmed on an Air Force base near Los Angeles. 15. Supporting player Nicholson received $5 million for just 10 days of shooting as Col. Nathan Jessup. Still, he worked hard for his money. He had to deliver his now-famous courtroom speech, at full intensity, as many as 50 times, even when Reiner was just using his performance off-camera to generate reaction shots from the other actors.
16. Pollak was unnerved during that sequence because his mom was on the set, sitting off-camera behind Nicholson and hitting on him. (You can watch Pollak’s hilarious recounting of this anecdote, complete with the comic’s dead-on Nicholson impression, here.) 17. Frequent Sorkin actor Josh Malina, who plays Jessup’s clerk, Tom, is the only actor in the film who was also in the Broadway production. “A Few Good Men” marked his movie debut.
18. Sorkin himself has a cameo, as a lawyer bragging in a bar. 19. “A Few Good Men” cost at least $33 million to make; some sources put the cost as high as $41 million. At least half the budget went toward paying the salaries of the A-list cast and director, before even a foot of film was shot. (Cruise earned a reported $12.5 million. Reiner took home a reported $4 million. Even Sutherland, in a fairly small supporting part, landed a reported $1 million.) The movie earned back $141 million in North America and another $102 million overseas. It remains the biggest career hit for both Reiner and Sorkin.
20. The Academy nominated “A Few Good Men” for four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Nicholson), Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. Somehow — Cruise was not nominated. Which is six different flavors of wrong. 21. The West Wing,” played the Cruise role in a London stage production of “A Few Good Men” in 2005.
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5. Reiner (above) was drawn to the story because he identified with protagonist Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a Navy lawyer trying to live up to the example set by his legal-giant father. Reiner had spent the first two decades of his career toiling in the shadow of his comedy-legend dad, sitcom star as a serious filmmaker striking out on his own.
7. For fellow lawyer Lt. Sam Weinberg, the filmmakers first thought of Seinfeld,” was renewed for a second season, Alexander became unavailable, so the role went to comedian and impressionist Pollak.
9. Sorkin said he enjoyed working for Reiner, even though the director ordered him to make countless, rigorous revisions of his screenplay. One major revision: unlike in the play, where a doctored logbook is the smoking gun that gives Kaffee the break he needs, Reiner insisted that Cruise’s Kaffee win the case on courtroom skills alone.
11. Sorkin hated, however, the revision requests he got from the studio. One asked why Galloway had to be a woman if she was never going to sleep with Kaffee. Sorkin’s reply: “
13. After “24,” it’s easy to think there’s nothing 
15. Supporting player Nicholson received $5 million for just 10 days of shooting as Col. Nathan Jessup. Still, he worked hard for his money. He had to deliver his now-famous courtroom speech, at full intensity, 
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19. “A Few Good Men” cost at least $33 million to make; some sources put the cost as high as $41 million. 
21. The West Wing,” played the Cruise role in a London stage production of “A Few Good Men” in 2005.