Rob Reiner has cultivated such a well-respected career for himself as a director that a lot of people don't even realize that when he first got started in Hollywood, he was primarily known as an actor. He was just the lovable meathead on All in the Family that Archie Bunker loved to abuse. But then, in the early 1980s, he came out with This is Spinal Tap, which totally changed his career forever. It was the story of an eccentric English rock band way past their Sell By date and fighting the inevitable onslaught of irrelevancy with darkly comedic results. This is Spinal Tap revolutionized the genre of mockumentary filmmaking, and turned Rob Reiner from a B-list television actor into an incredibly sought after director. He didn't squander his big opportunity either -- he followed Spinal Tap with When Harry Met Sally, The Sure Thing, The Princess Bride, and Stand by Me, in what is probably one of the biggest hot streaks in terms of popular filmmaking.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
