Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, passed away on Dec. 14, 2025. While you may not know his face, unless you are a fan of New Girl, where he played Jess’ dad, you might be a fan of his work. Rob Reiner directed movies such as Flipped, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, and Stand by Me, to name a few.
Rob Reiner was, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite director. I still remember being thirteen, when I was too young to be scrolling on Instagram, and a clip of the movie Flipped appeared on my feed. I was quite intrigued that the story was a romance that followed characters of a similar age to mine at the time.
Just like Juli flipped for Bryce Loski, I flipped for Flipped. After watching it, I watched it a few more times and made sure to show it to my friends. They cringed a little when they saw Juli sniff Bryce’s neck at the beginning, but by the end, they were truly moved by Bryce planting a sycamore tree right in Juli’s front yard. This film had moved thirteen-year-old me in such a way that I didn’t know was possible, and inspired me to explore more movies.
In an Instagram post by Madeline Carroll, who played Juli Baker in the film, she described Rob, saying, “…he lit up a room, he was so charismatic and so funny and so normal and so kind. He adored his family and adored everyone who worked beside him. After we did Flipped, he tried every way to further me, calling in favors and calling his peers to put in a ‘good word’ for me. I really did feel like an honorary Reiner.”
“He went above and beyond for people is my point. In so many ways. Everyone who knew him loved him.”
– Madeline Carroll
I did not realize at the time that I had watched Flipped that I had seen, earlier in my life, an iconic movie that was directed by him as well. That is, of course, The Princess Bride. That movie is a staple of cinema, and for good reason. I still remember thinking Buttercup was so beautiful and how awful it was that she would marry a mean prince when she had been so happy with Wesley.
That movie is magical, of course, at any age, but I do think there is something special about being a young girl when watching that film. The beauty and the fairytale of the movie feel somewhat tangible in a way. As I am older now, I see how we can think the man we are with is our prince charming, but if you don’t give up hope and keep searching, you will find your Wesley, or rather, your Wesley will find you!
In an interview with Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Cary Elwes, who played Wesley in the film, told Kelly that Rob “was all about the joy. He would say to me before each take, ‘Remember to have fun!’ And I took that as a philosophy, both in my work and in my life, just to remember not to sweat the small stuff.”
It would be a few more years after these movies that I would watch another Rob Reiner film that still stays with me today: When Harry Met Sally. When people say it is the blueprint of rom-coms, that’s because it is the blueprint. I could watch that film forever. There is just something so profound in knowing someone for twelve years, and it takes twelve years for you to realize that they are the person you were supposed to be with all along. Then again, I think another important lesson is that you do have to grow into the person you are supposed to be to be with the person you are supposed to be with. Harry and Sally would not have worked fresh out of college, but twelve years later, they were different, but their foundations never changed.
When Rob Reiner spoke to Chris Wallace on CNN, he revealed that originally, Harry and Sally were not supposed to be together, as he did not think it was very realistic, but while filming the movie, Rob met his wife, Michele Reiner, and fell in love. Not only was the rest of history, but the original ending was too.
Lastly, we have Stand by Me. Another classic that was rare in that it focused solely on kids. The movie was not a ‘kids movie’ with a PG rating, but rather an R-rated film adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name that follows four boys in search of a dead body. While not a movie you may want to take a six-year-old to, it is a movie everyone should see. The film is raw and real. These boys have tough home lives and go through tragic things, yet the film still highlights their innocence and does not hide from the fact that they are children. Ultimately, we see four boys who have formed a beautiful bond and close friendships. A genuineness films seem to be lacking today.
The film features talents such as Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and the late River Phoenix. They were all very young teenagers who did not have the experience that others in their field had. That didn’t deter Rob Reiner from using them, though. In fact, he seemed excited and very protective of who he was working with.
Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie, said this to People Magazine about his experience with the film, “I felt extremely protected, and loved and validated by Rob Reiner, every day on set,” he continued. “Even as an adult, I have worked on sets where the director, for whatever reason, just gives you the feeling that you don’t deserve to be there. [Like,] ‘You’re lucky to be there, and just shut up and do the thing.’ Rob never did that. Even though we were little kids, Rob pointed us in the right direction. And he had cast four kids who absolutely were our characters in extremely meaningful ways, and he let us just live, and exist and relate naturally and honestly.”
Rest in peace, Rob and Michele Reiner. While you may not physically be here, your work is. Your legacy will carry on.