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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Rob Reiner’s directing career stretches from the improvised rock satire This Is Spinal Tap to the political drama Shock and Awe and the 2025 sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Ranked strictly by Rotten Tomatoes’ current Tomatometer—the percentage of positive professional reviews—his filmography has a clear high point: five films above 89%, followed by a sharp drop into mixed and poorly reviewed territory.
This list uses critic scores, not Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter audience scores. Percentages can change as the site adds or reclassifies reviews. It also includes films Reiner directed, rather than every title in which he acted, produced, narrated, or appeared as himself.
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Rob Reiner movies ranked by Tomatometer
The order below is a strict highest-to-lowest ranking by the currently reported Tomatometer percentage. Films tied at 90% are ordered alphabetically by title for clarity.
| Rank | Film | Year | Tomatometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | This Is Spinal Tap | 1984 | 98% |
| 2 | Albert Brooks: Defending My Life | 2023 | 97% |
| 3 | The Princess Bride | 1987 | 93% |
| 4 | The American President | 1995 | 90% |
| 5 | When Harry Met Sally… | 1989 | 90% |
| 6 | Stand by Me | 1986 | 89% |
| 7 | Misery | 1990 | 86% |
| 8 | A Few Good Men | 1992 | 85% |
| 9 | The Sure Thing | 1985 | 81% |
| 10 | Spinal Tap II: The End Continues | 2025 | 66% |
| 11 | LBJ | 2016 | 55% |
| 12 | Flipped | 2010 | 54% |
| 13 | Ghosts of Mississippi | 1996 | 42% |
| 14 | The Bucket List | 2007 | 40% |
| 15 | The Magic of Belle Isle | 2012 | 33% |
| 16 | Shock and Awe | 2017 | 28% |
| 17 | The Story of Us | 1999 | 26% |
| 18 | Being Charlie | 2015 | 23% |
| 19 | Rumor Has It… | 2005 | 21% |
| 20 | And So It Goes | 2014 | 16% |
| 21 | North | 1994 | 12% |
| 22 | Alex & Emma | 2003 | 11% |
The top tier: Reiner’s most acclaimed films
1. This Is Spinal Tap — 98%
Reiner’s feature debut remains the benchmark. Presented as a documentary about the fictional British heavy-metal band Spinal Tap, the film uses deadpan interviews, awkward silences, backstage arguments, and increasingly absurd disasters to parody the conventions of music documentaries. Its mockumentary style is so convincing that it helped establish a visual and comedic language later used by countless fictional documentaries.
#1 Best Overall
2. Albert Brooks: Defending My Life — 97%
This intimate 2023 documentary records comedian Albert Brooks in conversation with Larry David. Reiner keeps the format simple: two performers reflecting on comedy, careers, insecurity, and friendship. It is the major reason a literal score ranking differs from Rotten Tomatoes’ displayed editorial order. The film appears ninth on that page, but its 97% Tomatometer makes it Reiner’s second-highest-rated directed film by percentage.
3. The Princess Bride — 93%
A fairy-tale adventure, romance, comedy, and swashbuckler at once, The Princess Bride balances storybook sincerity with sharply timed parody. Its broad appeal comes from the way Reiner lets the jokes coexist with genuine stakes rather than treating the fantasy world as disposable.
4. The American President — 90%
Michael Douglas plays a widowed U.S. president attempting to pursue a relationship while navigating an election-year attack campaign. Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue gives the film its verbal momentum, while Reiner’s direction keeps the political material grounded in character and romantic conflict.
5. When Harry Met Sally… — 90%
Nora Ephron’s screenplay follows two friends over years as they debate whether men and women can remain platonic. The film’s restaurant conversations, observational humor, and carefully measured time jumps made it one of Reiner’s defining romantic comedies.
Strong reviews across very different genres
6. Stand by Me — 89%
Adapted from Stephen King’s novella “The Body,” this coming-of-age drama follows four Oregon boys who set out to find a missing teenager. Reiner handles the adventure framework as a story about friendship, class, grief, and the end of childhood.
7. Misery — 86%
James Caan plays an injured novelist held captive by Annie Wilkes, the fan played by Kathy Bates. The film’s confined setting turns control, authorship, and celebrity obsession into sustained psychological suspense. Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role.
Rank #2
8. A Few Good Men — 85%
A military courtroom drama built around the death of a Marine at Guantanamo Bay, the film pits young defense lawyers against an entrenched chain of command. Its famous testimony scene is memorable, but the film’s broader strength is the conflict between institutional loyalty and individual responsibility.
9. The Sure Thing — 81%
This early romantic comedy pairs two college students on an uncomfortable cross-country trip. What begins as an opportunistic journey gradually becomes a more conventional romance, with John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga carrying the shift from antagonism to attraction.
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10. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues — 66%
The 2025 sequel reunites the members of Spinal Tap for another music-documentary-style story. Its 66% score places it well below the original, though it still sits above most of Reiner’s later narrative features. Sequels to beloved cult comedies face a difficult test: they must reproduce the familiar rhythm without making the old joke feel mechanically repeated.
11. LBJ — 55%
Woody Harrelson portrays Lyndon B. Johnson in this political biographical drama. The film focuses on Johnson’s rise to the presidency, the Civil Rights Act, and the pressures surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Its mixed score reflects the challenge of compressing a complicated political life into a conventional feature.
12. Flipped — 54%
Based on Wendelin Van Draanen’s novel, Flipped revisits the same adolescent relationship from the perspectives of its two young leads. The divided viewpoint gives the film a useful structural idea, even if critics were split on its sentimentality and period setting.
13. Ghosts of Mississippi — 42%
This courtroom drama follows the effort to prosecute Byron De La Beckwith for the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. The subject carries enormous historical weight, but reviews criticized the film’s approach to that history and its conventional presentation.
Rank #3
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14. The Bucket List — 40%
Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play terminally ill men who leave the hospital to complete a list of experiences. The premise offers an obvious route to emotional uplift, but the film’s broad treatment of illness and mortality divided critics.
15. The Magic of Belle Isle — 33%
Morgan Freeman plays a novelist who retreats to a small town after losing his creative confidence. His friendship with a neighbor and her daughters gradually brings him back into life. The film’s gentle tone appealed to some viewers, while critics often found it overly soft and predictable.
The lowest-rated Reiner films
16. Shock and Awe — 28%
This 2017 newsroom drama follows journalists questioning the Bush administration’s case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It is especially relevant to documentary viewers because it centers on reporting, institutional pressure, and the consequences of accepting official claims without sufficient scrutiny. Rotten Tomatoes critics largely found the execution less forceful than the subject.
17. The Story of Us — 26%
Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer play a married couple whose relationship is close to collapse. Reiner and screenwriter Alan Zweibel use flashbacks and direct emotional confrontation to examine the accumulated resentments of a long marriage.
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18. Being Charlie — 23%
Written by Reiner’s son Nick, the film follows a teenager moving through addiction treatment and a turbulent relationship with his father. Its subject is personal and serious, but critics generally considered the drama familiar in its treatment of recovery and family conflict.
19. Rumor Has It… — 21%
Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who suspects her family inspired the events of The Graduate. The high-concept premise sends her searching for answers about her mother, grandmother, and a former lover. Reviews frequently described the comedy as strained despite its recognizable cast.
Rank #4
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20. And So It Goes — 16%
Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton lead this late-life romantic comedy about a self-centered real-estate agent whose life changes after he is forced to care for his granddaughter. The film’s sentimental design and broad characterizations placed it near the bottom of the ranking.
21. North — 12%
Elijah Wood plays a child who decides to search for better parents after becoming dissatisfied with his family. The premise was intended as a whimsical fantasy, but the film became notorious for its critical reception, with reviewers objecting to its tone and treatment of childhood divorce.
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Luke Wilson plays a novelist racing to finish a book while the story he is writing unfolds around him, with Kate Hudson playing both his real-world collaborator and the fictional heroine. It is Reiner’s lowest-rated directed film on this Tomatometer list.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial rank can look different
Rotten Tomatoes’ official guide does not simply display every film in descending numerical order. It presents Reiner’s films starting with Certified Fresh titles, then places the remaining films below them. That is why Albert Brooks: Defending My Life appears at No. 9 on the editorial page even though its 97% Tomatometer is second only to This Is Spinal Tap.
For a score-based article, the strict percentage order is more useful. It also prevents a common mistake: calling the Albert Brooks documentary Reiner’s ninth-best film by critic score. It is ninth in the guide’s presentation, not ninth by Tomatometer.
What the ranking says about Reiner’s career
The scores show an unusually concentrated run of critical success from 1984 through 1992. In that period, Reiner moved from mockumentary to coming-of-age drama, fantasy romance, romantic comedy, psychological horror, and courtroom drama without losing a strong sense of pace or tonal control. His 2023 documentary also demonstrates that the conversational, performance-centered format remains a natural fit.
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The lower half is more uneven, particularly among the later political dramas and sentimental comedies. A Tomatometer percentage does not measure cultural staying power: North and Alex & Emma score poorly, while The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, and This Is Spinal Tap have become enduring audience favorites. The list is best read as a snapshot of critical consensus, not a final judgment on every film’s influence or rewatchability.
FAQ
What is Rob Reiner’s highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes?
This Is Spinal Tap is currently Rob Reiner’s highest-rated directed film by Tomatometer, with 98%.
Where does Albert Brooks: Defending My Life rank?
By strict Tomatometer percentage, the 2023 documentary ranks second at 97%. Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial guide displays it at No. 9 because that page groups films by its own Certified Fresh presentation rather than using a purely numerical order.
Is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues included?
Yes. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the 2025 sequel at 66%, placing it tenth in a strict highest-to-lowest score ranking.
Are these Rotten Tomatoes scores audience ratings?
No. The figures are Tomatometer scores based on professional critics’ reviews. Rotten Tomatoes lists audience reactions separately under the Popcornmeter.
The Bottom Line
This Is Spinal Tap leads Rob Reiner’s filmography with a 98% Tomatometer, followed by Albert Brooks: Defending My Life at 97% and The Princess Bride at 93%. The ranking also shows why the ordering needs explanation: Rotten Tomatoes’ editorial guide is not a pure score chart, so the documentary about Albert Brooks appears ninth on that page despite having the second-highest critic percentage. Scores are current snapshots and may change.
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