
Film experts would include Rob Reiner’s 1984 film, This Is Spinal Tap, in his impressive body of work. Largely created through improvisation with stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer, it helped launch Guest’s career in mockumentaries and indirectly inspired sitcoms like The Office, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, and Abbott Elementary. Reiner didn’t just direct; he helped build careers. As a co-founder of Castle Rock Pictures—named after the town in Stand by Me, famous from Stephen King stories—he co-produced films like Whit Stillman’s Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco; Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy; Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind; and Kenneth Branagh’s four-hour version of Hamlet. He also co-produced further Stephen King adaptations, including The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Reiner’s own films, written by renowned screenwriters like Nora Ephron, William Goldman, and Aaron Sorkin, are filled with memorable lines that have become part of popular culture: “I’ll have what she’s having,” “I’m your No. 1 fan,” “You can’t handle the truth!” “As you wish,” and the iconic “These go to 11.”