
About this episode
Ryan and Todd discuss the first seven films of filmmaker Rob Reiner and explore his unique qualities as a director.
On this episode, Ryan and Todd take a short break from their Kant Odyssey to discuss one of the podcast's most admired filmmakers: Rob Reiner. Coincidentally being released on Oscar's Sunday, the hosts dedicate their time to Reiner's first seven films-- This is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, and A Few Good Men. While discussing each film individually, the pair articulate and build upon the following claim: the same things that made Reiner unique as a filmmaker were the exact same things that made him easy to overlook as an auteur.
People in this episode
Hosts: Ryan, Todd
Topics covered
- Rob Reiner
- filmmaking
- film analysis
- Oscar Sunday
- auteur theory
Keywords
- Rob Reiner
- This is Spinal Tap
- The Princess Bride
- film analysis
- auteur theory
- Oscar Sunday
- Misery
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: This is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, A Few Good Men
More episodes of Why Theory
- Michael Clayton · June 7, 2026 · 1h 15m
- Existentialism Is A Humanism · May 24, 2026 · 1h 16m
- Impossible Professions · May 11, 2026 · 1h 21m
- Avarice · April 26, 2026 · 1h 14m
- Ambition · April 13, 2026 · 1h 11m
- Transcendental Analytic (Kant's Critique of Pure Reason) · March 29, 2026 · 1h 21m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Why Theory podcast page.