Rob Reiner's shocking death late last year had a profound effect on my wife and I. We had grown up with him as Michael Stivic on All In The Family and were Young Adults when he began his prolific career as a film director. We found ourselves rewatching many of his films int he weeks and month after hus and his wife were murdered.
One film we had not seen or even heard of is my first installment in 12 New Movies to me for 2026.
Film: Shock And Awe (2017)
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars
Summary: James Marsden and Woody Harrelson play reporters for Knight Ridder and Rob Reiner plays their boss who report on the aftermath of 911 that led to the War in Iraq. The problem is that the story they are researching and the narrative coming from the White House, Congress and the Pentagon are vastly different.
Theme: Who should you listen to?
One Thing I liked about the movie: I got to see Rob Reiner act and direct. Since he spent so much time and energy the last 40 years of his career in the latter, it is easy to forget what a great actor he was as well.
One Thing I did not like about the movie: This my be picky, but I think there was a deliberate attempt to make viewers think that Aaron Sorking was associated with this movie. Two of Reiner's finest films are Sorkin collaborations (The American President and A Few Good Men). This film has legal, military , political and journalism tie ins so since these are all Sorkin Staples the comparisons make sense initially . However, I thought that the court room scenes, the casting of Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and some of the speeches in the film were contrived to connect Sorkin to the project without adding to the plot.
The ideal audience for this film: People who like Newspaper movies and people who enjoy Reiner as a director and an actor should enjoy this film.
