海角大神

When the news broke about the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, the outpouring of grief from the Hollywood community and beyond was instantaneous and overwhelming. But the grief was of a kind not usually associated with the passing of even the biggest movie icons. When a major star or filmmaker dies, we as moviegoers may feel the loss in ways that seem weirdly personal. We didn鈥檛 know Robert Redford, for example, or Robin Williams, and yet we felt as though we did because of their larger-than-life presence on the screen. We felt close to them because of what their movies meant to us.

In the case of Reiner, however, the closeness so many felt had an added dimension. It was not only the moments in his best movies 鈥� films like 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap,鈥� 鈥淭he Princess Bride,鈥� and 鈥淲hen Harry Met Sally鈥� 鈥� that resonated deeply with audiences. It was also the recognition for many of us that the man behind those movies was a crusader for decency in the public sphere. He wasn鈥檛 just a movie icon; he was a liberal icon for social justice.

The decency reflected in his films 鈥� the way the people in his movies, even at their worst, are not dismissively portrayed 鈥� was equally present in his public works. It would have been natural for him, especially when his directing career was on the wane, to run for political office in California. After all, Arnold Schwarzenegger did it. Reiner declined to do that. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be an elected official,鈥� he once said. 鈥淚 want to get things done.鈥�

I met Reiner only once, more than two decades ago. I was hosting a movie series in Los Angeles where famous filmmakers were invited to discuss their favorite film, followed by a screening of the movie. It鈥檚 always dicey when critics meet filmmakers. You never know when the memory of some long-ago negative review is going to suddenly pop into the conversation and roil the waters. But Reiner was cordial enough and accommodating, and I felt at ease. I imagine this is how he worked with actors, too, and how he was able to elicit so many memorable performances.

And what was his favorite film? 鈥淥n the Waterfront,鈥� the 1954 Elia Kazan classic about New Jersey dockyard corruption starring Marlon Brando. To those who only knew Reiner from his long-running role as Archie Bunker鈥檚 beleaguered son-in-law, Michael 鈥淢eathead鈥� Stivic, in the 鈥淎ll in the Family鈥� TV series, this might have seemed an odd choice. But it fit perfectly with his sense of justice, of doing the right thing.

Reiner sometimes bemoaned the fact that, despite his vast accomplishments, he was still thought of, especially by an older generation, as Meathead. He once said: 鈥淚 could win the Nobel Prize, and they鈥檇 write 鈥楳eathead wins the Nobel Prize.鈥欌�� But his sense of humor, his welcoming acceptance of life鈥檚 absurdities, was equally a fixture of who he was. How could it not be? Growing up as the son of Carl Reiner, a bona fide comic genius, was, by the son鈥檚 own account, not easy.

And yet he staked out a similarly successful career path, first as a TV actor and writer, then as a director of two of the funniest films ever made. I can remember the first time I saw 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap,鈥� his big-screen directorial debut, and literally collapsed with laughter. This mockumentary about a dreadful (fictional) British rock band was so irreverently on target that not a few viewers thought the group was real. The musical numbers the band executed, in more ways than one, were satiric gems. My favorite: 鈥�(Listen To The) Flower People.鈥� Throughout it all, including the introduction of the famous line 鈥淭urn it up to 11,鈥� Reiner and his amazing cast of improvisatory cutups manage to make these jokers seem sympathetic. There鈥檚 something touchingly valiant about their quest for stardom.

鈥淭he Princess Bride鈥� is just as funny, but more fantastical. It began as a William Goldman novel based on fairy tales he wrote for his children. The book鈥檚 mythic gossamer atmosphere survives in the film, which is equal parts fantasia and burlesque, with dewy romance, fair maidens, villainous princes, six-fingered bullies, and swordplay. (Mandy Patinkin鈥檚 Inigo Montoya!) It鈥檚 all great fun, and if you saw it at a young enough age, it likely remains a cherished memory 鈥� and one happily revisited as an adult.

I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a stretch to say that the man who made this movie 鈥� or the nostalgic, melancholy, look-back about four journeying boys in 鈥淪tand by Me鈥� 鈥� is all of a piece with the political activist. In 1998, in California, he successfully championed a proposition calling for a tax on tobacco products to be spent on early childhood programs. According to the Los Angeles Times, Proposition 10 pumped 鈥渕ore than $11 billion into preschools, teacher training and support for families struggling to raise their kids.鈥� In 1999, he became chairman of the First 5 California Children and Families Commission, providing health and education services for children and their families. First 5 refers to the first five years of life.

He walked the walk.

One of the hallmarks of Reiner鈥檚 directorial career, especially in the 1980s and early 鈥�90s, was his versatility. This, too, was, I think, an expression of his openness to experience. The genre-hopping was flabbergasting: 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap鈥� was followed not long after by 鈥淪tand by Me鈥� and 鈥淭he Princess Bride.鈥� Then came the Nora Ephron-scripted 鈥淲hen Harry Met Sally鈥� (everybody鈥檚 favorite rom-com) and the ghoulishly comic Stephen King-inspired 鈥淢isery.鈥� A couple of years later came the Aaron Sorkin courtroom drama 鈥淎 Few Good Men,鈥� which deserves to be remembered for more than Jack Nicholson shouting, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 handle the truth!鈥�

It was a career, and a life, that was a rarity in Hollywood. Reiner played by no one鈥檚 rules but his own. The integrity that shone forth, in those films, and in that life, is a legacy that won鈥檛 fade.