Rob Reiner movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max and more to honor the late, great director
The world is still reeling from the shocking news of Rob Reiner’s death, who was murdered, alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, over the weekend. It’s hard to reconcile that the Oscar-winning filmmaker—who told such warm, empathetic, human stories—would come to such a violent end.
As we await more details as to what actually happened, we can still honor Reiner’s remarkable cultural impact on Hollywood. For many, the best way to process the news is by revisiting some of the best Rob Reiner movies over the years.
For me, the first movie on my Reiner watch list is When Harry Met Sally, which many credit as the best modern romantic comedy of all time. (While that on isn’t available on Netflix, you can find on a the premium network, Starz.) But even if you don’t have Starz, there are many Rob Reiner movies on streaming that are available for free, if you have a subscription to that service. You’re already paying so much for streamers per month, so you might as well take advantage of those services. I like to think that Reiner, who always loved an underdog, would understand.
For your convenience, Decider has compiled a list of Rob Reiner movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Disney Plus and more.
It’s been said hundreds of times before, but there’s simply no way around the fact that Rob Reiner delivered the greatest romantic comedy of all time with When Harry Met Sally. Writer Nora Ephron and Reiner delivered the ideal blend of hilarious and romantic 34 years ago, and no one has been able to top it since. Harry and Sally—played perfectly by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan—are the quintessential enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. There is no character vs. plot; the characters are the plot. There is no waiting for the movie to get to the good stuff, because it’s all the good stuff. That first banter over an 18-hour car ride, that late-night phone call to watch Casablanca together, that fake orgasm in Katz’s Delicatessen, that failed double-date, that first night together, that speech on New Year’s Eve—all of it. How could you forget a single shot, when every scene is so deliciously romantic and so refreshingly fun? It’s all the best parts of a romantic comedy and none of the worst.
Streaming: Starz, or available to buy on digital
Starz typically costs $10.99/month, but right now, you can subscribe and get your first three months for $0.99/month. Additionally, you can prepay for $11.99 for 12 months of Starz and save over $50.
Black Friday deal alert! If you subscribe to Starz via Prime Video, you’ll be able to get your first two months for $2.75/month.
Streaming on: Netflix, or available to buy and rent on digital
Reiner’s beloved adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novella The Body—which is currently streaming on Netflix—had a profound affect on me when I watched it as a young teen. I was about the same age as Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O’Connell), who were four tween boys in the summer of 1959 determined to find a dead body. I didn’t understand all of the references, and I couldn’t sing along to the rock ‘n roll soundtrack, but I was obsessed with those four characters and the idea of them as an unbreakable foursome. Reiner’s tender, youthful nostalgia paired with King’s dark themes of mortality, created, in my opinion, one of the best movies of all time. Stand By Me is more than just one of my favorite—it’s the movie that made me fall in love with the entire coming-of-age genre.
Streaming on: Netflix, Paramount+, Tubi, Pluto TV, Kanopy (for participating libraris), or available to buy or rent on digital
Rob Reiner was not just a great film writer and director. He was also, occasionally, a great film actor as well. Perhaps the best example of Reiner’s acting chops is The Wolf of Wall Street—now streaming on Netflix—in which Martin Scorsese cast Reiner as Leonardo DiCaprio’s father. Though he’s only in a few scenes, Reiner more than holds his own alongside DiCaprio, proving he really could do it all. Even if you don’t have Netflix, you can still watch this one free with ads on Tubi or Pluto TV.
Streaming on: HBO Max, or available to buy or rent on digital
Rob Reiner’s very first film, This Is Spinal Tap, remains a beloved cult comedy to this day, and is easy to stream on HBO Max. How many other filmmakers can claim responsibility for a joke so funny that they became a new, permanent saying in the English language? (“These amps go to eleven.”) This movie all but invented the now ubiquitous “mockumentary” comedy. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer—all of whom also co-wrote the movie with Reiner—star as the fictional English heavy metal band Spinal Tap, while Reiner plays the documentarian who films the band’s life on the road. The film was not a huge financial success upon release in 1984, but the home video release elevated it to the ultimate cult classic favorite.
Streaming on: HBO Max, or available to buy or rent on digital
While nothing could ever hold a candle to the first film, it’s worth checking out the Spinal Tap sequel, also streaming on HBO Max, released earlier this year (and now, Reiner’s last-ever film). Reiner and his cast reunited for this sequel over 40 years after the first film, with Guest, McKean, and Shearer are all reprising their roles, and a few big name rock stars made cameos. The fictional band Spinal Tap reunites for one last big show, once again captured by fictional documentary filmmaker Martin “Marty” DiBergi (Reiner). Though this sequel received mixed reviews, in the light of Reiner’s tragic death, it feels significant that he got the band back together one last time.
Streaming on: HBO Max
In addition to playing a fake documentary filmmaker in the Spinal Tap films, Reiner was also, sometimes, an actual documentary filmmaker—and a good one at that. Reiner’s funny, heartfelt tribute to his fellow comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks—featuring long conversations with Reiner and Brooks, as well as a recap of Brooks’s life and career—captures years of easy rapport and friendship. It’s an absolute pleasure to watch these two comedy giants chop it up, and it’s a great way to remember Reiner as the warm, empathetic, and hilarious man that he was.
Streaming on: Disney+, Hulu, or available to buy or rent on digital
It seems inconceivable that the man who brought us The Princess Bride is now gone too soon, but it’s clear his legacy will live on for many decades to come, from the cultural impact of just this masterpiece alone. This endlessly quotable fantasy comedy rewired my brain, from the electric chemistry between Cary Elwes and Robin Wright (“As you wish.”), to the heartbreaking vengeance of Inigo Montoya (“You killed my father. Prepare to die.”), to the perfectly-timed comedic bits (“Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist.”).
Streaming on: Prime Video (free with a Prime subscription), and available to buy and rent on digital
Back in 2014, critics had turned on the romantic comedy genre, which might explain why Reiner’s more recent rom-com with Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton, And So It Goes, was so gleefully panned in reviews. While not his best, I think it’s still worth a watch. Keaton—who also died earlier this year at the age of 79—Douglas star as next-door neighbors both grieving the deaths of their spouses, who are brought together by the sudden appearance of Douglas’s 10-year-old granddaughter, who he had no idea existed.
Streaming on: Prime Video (free with a Prime subscription), Tubi, Kanopy, or available to buy or rent on digital
In addition to being a great filmmaker, Reiner had an avid interest in politics, and was largely responsible for overturning California’s controversial Prop. 8 law, which banned same-sex marriage. Occasionally, he combined his interest in politics with his interest in filmmaking, like in this drama that starred himself, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones and James Marsden as a group of journalists investigating the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
Streaming on: Tubi (free with ads), Pluto TV (free with ads), and available to buy and rent on digital
Unfortunately The Bucket List is not available on any of the subscription-based streamers right now, but you can watch another one of Reiner’s collabs with the great Morgan Freeman: A touching, sentimental comedy called The Magic of Belle Isle, starring Freeman as a novelist grieving the death of his wife. He moves to a lakeside cabin to be near his nephew, where he meets a community of eclectic characters who help him on his healing journey. It’s a little cheesy, sure, but speaks to Reiner’s unfailing belief in the inherent goodness of humanity, and that’s something we could all use more of in our lives.
