It was very upsetting last night when I came across the breaking news that Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle had been found murdered in their home. I had a lot of admiration for Reiner, who was an American treasure, for his sensitive and humorous cinematic work as a movie director (Stand by Me, This is Spinal Tap, Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, and A Few Good Men, to name a few) and his acting (All in the Family, Spinal Tap, Sleepless in Seattle, Wolf of Wall Street, and others).
I also admired Reiner for his humanitarian work toward giving others a better life. He sponsored a bill in California to tax cigarettes, with the money going to fund early childhood education. He also worked advancing other progressive activities. Whenever I heard him interviewed, I was always struck by how much his views aligned with my own.
I first came aware of Rob Reiner, as most people my age did, as “Meathead” in the hilarious TV comedy, “All in the Family”. Meathead played a progressive, antiwar, antiracism, young counter-culture character, whose views and comments in his dialogue, even back in the early 1970s , were the same as mine.
Every time “This is Spinal Tap” the Reiner’s mockumentary about an over-the-top and ridiculous heavy metal rock band comes on TCM, I end up watching it again. Reiner just this year released the sequel to the movie, “Spinal Tap, The End Continues”. I was looking forward to seeing it, but now it will be with some sadness, knowing of his horrific murder.
I was sickened this morning when I heard what the President of the United States had said about the death of this talented and caring internationally recognized, and praised American. Of course Trump made it all about himself.
Rob Reiner’s death is a great loss to everyone who cares about cinema, humanity, humor, and empathy toward others. I am sad, knowing he is no longer with us.
View my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
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