We always see those Facebook memes that ask the question, "Who are the celebrity deaths that hit you the hardest?" My answer is always Prince and Eddie Van Halen. They were the soundtrack to my teenage years. But after hearing the tragic news of the deaths of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, I have to say, this one hit hard, too. After hearing the horrible news, people are now paying tribute to Reiner's incredible body of work. The best storytellers tell stories that reflect our own lives. Rob Reiner certainly did that for me.
The greatest romantic comedy of all time. A film that taught me that love can and will survive, and that it will appear when you least expect it. A film that comforted me when I was heartbroken. A timeless classic. pic.twitter.com/itmqrrfLf9
— Dan Marcus (@Danimalish) December 15, 2025
My first exposure to Rob Reiner was, of course, as Archie Bunker's son-in-law Michael, a.k.a. "Meathead," on All in the Family. When Archie and Meathead would get into one of their legendary bouts about the political issues of the day, their chemistry was unmatched. My dad would cry, he would laugh so hard. But it was the 70s, and I was in grade school, so I didn't get the jokes. But thanks to the magic of reruns, I do now and laugh just as much.
READ MORE: Hollywood Director Rob Reiner and Wife Found Dead at Home With Injuries Consistent With Knife Wounds
But it was directing where Reiner really hit his stride. Today, we are all talking about our favorite Rob Reiner movies. For so many, myself included, it has to be When Harry Met Sally. It came out in 1989. I was 24, single, and like Harry and Sally, just trying to figure out life. Like most 20-somethings, because it would be ten years before I would meet the man who would become my husband, my friends became my second family.
Like Sally, I had my own circle of girlfriends. Other young women trying to figure out the same things I was. Learning to live on your own, invaluable experience I wouldn't trade for the world, and navigating "grownup" relationships. But my two closest friends were guys. Joe, Lee, and I had known each other since the 7th grade. I couldn't tell you when we started hanging out, but we just may have proven Harry wrong: Men and women could be friends.
When I think about them, I think of the scene with Harry and his friend Jess, played by Bruno Kirby, at the batting cage. Harry tells Jess that he can talk to Sally about the women he dates and get a "woman's perspective." That was so true. If I talked to them about guys I was interested in, I got a no-holds-barred "man's perspective," even though it might not have been what I wanted to hear.
Maybe it is the inherent male instinct of protecting females, or maybe it was just those two. I got a "man's perspective," alright, but they also never seemed to like whoever I dated...until they met my now-husband. It is reminiscent of the dinner party scene at Jess and Marie's, where Harry and Sally both bring dates. Each one privately criticizes the other's companion. Sally comments to Marie that Harry's date, Emily, seems a bit young. Harry comments to Jess that Sally's date, Julian, seems "a little stiff." Protective, critical, or just a natural reaction?
The wagon-wheel coffee table scene in When Harry Met Sally is a masterclass in screenwriting. The reactions to the table perfectly capture the personalities of the main quartet. There are so many quotable lines and all of the line deliveries are perfection. pic.twitter.com/D11HXY1WGz
— The Podcast Around the Corner (@TheNoraPodcast) January 17, 2023
Harry might have been partially right: Men and women could be friends, but there was still a chance that an underlying attraction could exist between them. It was that way with Lee and me for a while. In fact, my mom always said that we were interested in each other, just never at the same time. But in the end, nothing ever materialized, and we continued to be the three musketeers.
At lunch, when her girlfriends learn that Sally and her long-time boyfriend have broken up, they immediately go about trying to set her up with another man. There was almost certainly some in-depth analysis of the end of the relationship as well. Harry didn't do that; he was just her friend...until she found out her ex-boyfriend was getting married. I also realized that you had girlfriends to conduct the post-relationship analysis with, but you had guy friends who would call your ex names and just be there to be your friend.
If Harry got the woman's perspective from Sally, she also got the men's perspective in return. At the library, when Sally tells Harry she has a date that night, Harry asks if what she is wearing is what she is wearing on the date, then says, "You should wear skirts more often. You look good in skirts." The next time we see Harry and Sally, Sally is wearing a skirt. I definitely got wardrobe tips from Joe and Lee. They weren't Lagerfeld and De la Renta, but I felt that maybe I got a small insight into what exactly guys my age at the time found attractive.
ALSO READ: In One of His Final Interviews, Rob Reiner Spoke About Forgiveness After Charlie Kirk’s Murder
Harry and Sally no doubt tell the story of a lot of male/female friendships. And at the time, it mirrored my own life so closely. So thank you, Rob Reiner, for telling a story that, whenever I watch it, I will think back to one of the best times of my life.
When Harry Met Sally (1989) feels even more personal today. The ending exists because Rob Reiner’s own view of love changed over time, and he let that growth reshape the film. That final New Year’s Eve moment carries a lot of his heart in it. Rest in peace.pic.twitter.com/Bcrm1PSltx
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) December 15, 2025
