Retrospective: When Harry Met Sally/The Princess Bride

I think I was too upset to write something about Robert Reiner for a few days. It's been a brutal year for American cinema with the deaths of David Lynch, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, and now Robert Reiner under truly horrific circumstances. America's always been a dark place to live, but between the rise of fascism and the brutal murder of everyone's favorite B-tier director, it's a straight up horror show.

Last night, in an effort to be less depressed, I watched When Harry Met Sally for the first time (I know, I know). I went in expecting a solid romcom, and for some reason I was surprised when I realized I was watching a stone cold classic. Beneath all the dogmatic heteronormativity, When Harry Met Sally is a remarkably funny exploration of the frustrating and tedious parts of love. Sometimes a great relationship is built on mutual ambivalence. More often, it's built on a sexually tense friendship. But usually, it's built on the magnificence of Meg Ryan. Reiner shot actors with an intimacy rare in a Hollywood director — he frames Ryan and Crystal with loving shallow-focus two shots that blot out the rest of the world. Nothing is more important in a Rob Reiner movie than emotional intimacy between two frustrated and lonely people.

After I finished that one, I realized I wanted to rewatch The Princess Bride, which as we all know is one of the greatest stories ever told. Like all the great fairy tales, it's a tapestry of riddles, deception, battles of wits, magic, and craftmanship. The frame story is one of the greatest in cinema, inviting the audience to be thrown by the story's logic. Go watch it again. You've seen it before, but you owe yourself a rewatch of The Princess Bride, Rob Reiner's greatest gift to the planet. Thanks, Rob. Be well.