Reiner v. Reiner: ‘Spinal Tap’ Director Disses Debate

Rob Reiner was once Hollywood’s most populist director.

Disagree? Consider his body of work:

• “Stand By Me”
• “This Is Spinal Tap”
• “The Princess Bride”
• “When Harry Met Sally”
• “Misery”
• “The Sure Thing”
• “A Few Good Men”
• “The American President”

Remarkable.

The latter film stands out for two reasons. One, the 1995 rom-com may be the last good movie Reiner directed in decades. His 2007 dramedy “The Bucket List” made bank, but it’s far from his best work.

Still, “The American President” matters more today than many films for a speech that caps the movie. President Shepherd (Michael Douglas) schools his political rival on the First Amendment in the film’s climactic duel.

Here’s that rhetorical kill shot (from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin):

America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

That was then. Hollywood no longer celebrates free speech, except from far-Left talk show hosts who spread disinformation sans apology.

Yesterday, the latest episode of “Club Random” went live. Host Bill Maher invited Reiner onto the podcast, and the two differed on the parameters for cross-party debate.

Reiner appearance helped promote “Spinal Tap: The End Continues,” the sequel to the director’s iconic 1984 mockumentary. The film has tanked at the box office, earning just $2.5 million in two weeks of U.S. release.

Maher has modeled that approach for years, inviting high-profile conservatives like Kid Rock, David Mamet and Dave Rubin on his show. Maher even broke bread with President Donald Trump, despite excoriating the real estate mogul over the past decade.

Maher practices what he preaches. That makes Reiner a little uncomfortable.

“The idea that we don’t talk to [conservatives], when we don’t have any power, of course, you have to talk to people,” Maher explained ot Reiner. The “Club Random” hosted brought up the topic by recalling an article about an Obama acolyte cutting off a Trump-voting family member but later regretting it.

The director agreed, but he threw a huge caveat into the matter.

“Before you have the exchange, you have to agree on certain facts,” said Reiner, who admitted he quit X due to the preponderance of conservative voices.

“No, you don’t,” Maher interjected. “You can’t … You just have to talk to people,” Maher said.

“If somebody says 2+2 is 4 and the other guy says, ‘no, it’s not’  … how do you begin the discussion?” Reiner asked.

“Because Rob that’s a slippery slope,” Maher countered, who brought up a challenging discussion about Trump’s “grab ’em by the you-know-what” line versus the Left transitioning children’s bodies. “If you start down that road of, ‘I can’t talk to you if you believe this crazy thing’ — you just can’t!”

“I’m not saying ideological purity, I’m saying a basis for conversation,” Reiner said later in the chat, attempting to meet Maher halfway.