Actor, director and producer Rob Reiner came to the forefront of American pop culture starring as Mike “Meathead” Stivic, a liberal intellectual who clashed with his bigoted father-in-law Archie Bunker portrayed by the very talented Carroll O’Connor in the ground-breaking television series “All in the Family.”
The series debuted on CBS in 1971 and when asked recently about what it was like working on the show Reiner said “we knew we were doing something special. We knew that we were doing something that had never been done before on television.” But, he and the cast didn’t think the show had a chance of staying on air.
“We fully expected it to go 13 weeks and be off,” he said. “It was so far out there that there was no way we were going to be successful.”
But the show did last and it became a zeitgeist for the issues of the day. The show ran for seven years and during that period, Reiner won two Emmy Awards for “Best Supporting Actor” in 1974 and in 1978.
For a period of about 15 years, beginning in the mid-1980’s, the Bronx native and son of Emmy-winning actor, comedian, writer and producer, Carl Reiner really hit his stride professionally as director of some of the most popular and oft-quoted films to this day. His work ranges from the 1984 cult classic of “This Is Spinal Tap” to the coming-of-age drama “Stand By Me” in 1986 followed by “The Princess Bride” in 1987.
In 1989, Reiner directed the much-loved romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally,” which starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. To this day, if you say the quote, “I’ll have what she’s having,” most moviegoers and pop culture enthusiasts know it’s a reference to the diner scene starring both actors.
Reiner also directed the 1990 suspenseful drama, “Misery,” which was based on the Stephen King novel, as well as “A Few Good Men” in 1992 starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. (I know you can’t help mouthing the quote “You can’t handle the truth”). From 1995 to 1997, he was on a roll directing back-to-back films “The American President” with Michael Douglas, “Ghosts of Mississippi” and “As Good As It Gets” which reteamed him with Nicholson.
Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton in “And So It Goes.”
Rob Reiner’s current project, “And So It Goes”, presents the notion of second chances in life and in love for those of a certain age. The comedy stars Michael Douglas as Oren Little, a self-centered, obnoxious real estate agent whose life turns upside down when his estranged son Luke (Scott Shepherd) asks him to temporarily care for his 9-year-old granddaughter Sarah (Sterling Jerins) whom he never knew existed.
With Sarah (named after Oren’s late wife) literally being left on his doorstep, Oren grudgingly agrees to take her in but quickly pawns her off on his tenant Leah starring Diane Keaton. But Leah is in the midst of transitions in her own life as she embarks on a journey to find herself, and define her next chapter as a lounge singer, all without her late husband by her side.
During a recent round-table interview in Boston to promote his film, Reiner spoke about his career, working in television, and exploring the concept of second chances in “And So It Goes.”
You’ve had a long and distinguished career. How do you sustain it and how do you keep it fresh?
I think for me it’s a discovery and it’s something you know intellectually when you’re young but you kind of internalize it as you get older. It’s about process. It’s about the doing. And so, if you understand that and you enjoy the doing then it stays fresh because all you’re doing is expressing how you feel and what you think about, and the things that come into your consciousness as you go along. It’s all a matter of processing whatever it is you take in through your work. I couldn’t make a picture like “And So It Goes” 30 years ago. I wouldn’t know what the heck that was and falling in love at a certain age in your life and things that were triggered by bucket lists. I turned 60 and I thought of myself at that point as a very, very young old person. Like, I was at the beginning of old age. And, you start thinking of mortality and how long you’re going to live. All of a sudden those thoughts and ideas come into your head and you express yourself in that way.
One of the themes you explore in the film is second chances and seeing how people get that opportunity in love, in life, or in their careers. What is it about that that fascinates you or interests you?
It interests me because we’re now living longer and longer. And, hopefully we’ll have longer lives. You go along for a while and you think retirement at 65 seems kind of weird now for a lot of people. What if you live another 40 years? That’s a lot of sitting around and not doing anything. Everybody wants to share things with other people. If you have five people in the course of a lifetime that are really dear friends, that’s a lot. If you do find somebody that you can actually hang with and spend time with, you want to do it.
Would you ever consider doing anything in television? There’s so many great series these days.
Right now, I’ve got four things in development for television. None of the movies I’ve ever made would ever get made at a studio now. They just don’t make those kinds of things. But, television there’s a whole new world that’s opened up in the last ten years. It’s like a second golden age. Between “Breaking Bad,” and “Homeland,” and “House of Cards,” you go on and on, it’s a real opportunity for creative people. So, I definitely would do that for sure.
“And So It Goes” is out in theaters this Friday, July 25.
