Before I dive into what will surely become an emotional tribute to a filmmaker who’s life was tragically taken from us, I have to take a look back at my own journey to becoming a professional writer.
Every writer has that moment where the lightbulb went off and they just knew putting words to keyboard was going to be their entire life. I have a few different moments in my childhood where I thought, if they can do it, so can I. One of the first instances of an ordinary person getting a typerwiter and launching their writying career that I remember from my early TV watching days was John Boy on the Walton’s. Yeah, I know, simple farm kid gets a typewriter and becomes a writer is cliche today, but it still had an impact on me as a kid. However, that was just a spark. There was something else that really set me on the path of become a wordsmith by trade; watching the Rob Reiner directed adaptation of the Stephen King novel, Stand By me. That film changed my life.
As far back as I can remember I was always writing something. My bedroom was littered with toys, NES carts and dozens upon dozens of notebooks filled with as many words as I could cram into them. When I was 12 years old I wrote my first article that got published in the school paper. Unlike most kids my age who cried at the inclusion of an essay portion on a test, I was the rare kid who became elated at the opportunity to use my words to prove I had learned the materials. I was born to be a writer.
Going back to age 12, that was the first time I watched the movie, Stand By Me. Yes, I was very enamored by the beatuful representation of the age-old, coming-of-age story as depicted in that film. To this day it is a reguler re-watch of mine. I even loosely modeled my own narrative style off the tone the writer in that film used. I always wanted my own writings to be as personal as that film. It was shortly after I begged my parents to buy me my own typewriter. Considering I had previously been harassing them, to no avail, for a computer that was absolutely could not afford, they saw this as a sign of relief for them. I could finally put my thoughts to paper without having to resort to the sloppy chicken scratch that was my hand writting in those countless college ruled notebooks. I wrote my first novel entirely by hand in a notebook that I have lost to time ages ago. Getting a typewriter was like getting a gift from the Heavens.
Of course I said I was going to talk about Rob Reiner. Unbeknownst to me his impact on my life would go far beyond that film he so beatufully directed that changed my life for certain. Yeah, I also knew him as Meathead from All in the Family due to reruns that aired on the, then, newly launched cable TV network TV Land, previously spun off from Nick at Nite. So yeah there was obviously that. Then there was the long list of absolutely stunning, cinematic masterpieces he brought us. I should mention that while I was studying film in college, his works were very much a major part of the curriculum. There is hardly a creative working today that hasn’t been impacted by his works in some form or another. He truly was a legend in his time, and his memory will live on in the legendary works he gave us.
I didn’t wanna focus too much on All in the Family, however, as a transwoman in a technically same-sex relationship, I should mention I am absolutely in awe over how hard he fought for civil rights, including gay rights. He was an ally for us to be sure. That alone commands respect. He was a massively vocal critic of the Trump regime while also creating works that would delve into revealing the things Trump and his goons were involved in. He stood up for us, so I shall remember him fondly for that.
If I could say one word to describe Rob Reiner I can’t, but I can sum him up in a single sentence. He was literally a gift from the Gods and we all took him for granted. Rest in Peace, Rob Reiner. You should know you will be remembered as a good man, beloved by more people than you will ever know.
Stephanie Bri 