Meathead's Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: This is Spinal Tap

"This is Spinal Tap" is a mockumentary about a heavy metal band called Spinal Tap. Reiner co-wrote it with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer who all starred in the movie as members of the band. Reiner also stars in the movie as the director of the film about the loud metal band.

It was released in 1984, having been made with a budget of $2 million. It earned $4.7 million in North America, so it was considered a financial success. Critics have also recognized this movie as a comedy well-worth seeing. "The Jerk" was directed by his father Carl Reiner. "Throw Momma from the Train" was directed by Danny DeVito. "Sleepless in Seattle" was directed by Nora Ephron.

Answer: Stephen King

The movie "Stand by Me" was released in 1986. The screenplay by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideonwas was created from the 1982 novella "The Body" by Stephen King. Although many of Reiner's movies are comedies, this is a drama about four boys who set out on a journey to find the body of a boy who has been missing from their community.

It is a story of adolescent friendships and adventures. The movie was created with a budget of approximately $8 million and grossed over $52 million in theaters.

Answer: The Princess Bride

"The Princess Bride" was released in 1987. Reiner directed this romantic comedy/adventure movie. In it, a farm hand named Wesley falls in love with a beautiful woman from the village. To catch her attention, he responds "as you wish" to each of her requests.

She returns his love eventually, but then he is lost at sea, so she is promised to the nasty prince of the land. Although she is supposedly destined to marry the bad guy, Wesley returns just after she is kidnapped by three criminals. He rescues her, and they end up on an adventure to get away from the kidnappers and avoid marrying the evil prince.

The movie was made for $16 million and made $30.9 million in theaters. The other movies on the list of options for this question were not directed by Reiner.

Answer: When Harry Met Sally

"When Harry Met Sally" was written by Nora Ephron. She based the character of Harry on Rob Reiner's experiences after a divorce. The character of Sally was based on Ephron's experiences, as well as those of some of her friends. Reiner directed this romantic comedy that follows Harry and Sally as they make their way on a road trip, and for years following the trip.

The characters move through different phases of their relationship from non-friends, to friends, to lovers, and finally to spouses. The movie was made for $16 million, and earned over $92 million at the box office.

It also ranks 23rd on "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs" list and falls at number 60 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".

Answer: James Caan

"Misery" is a psychological drama that is based on a novel by Stephen King. It is about an author who writes romance novels. An obsessed fan rescues him from a car accident in a remote area and takes him home to heal. He has just written a novel in which he kills off the main character in his novels.

She is not pleased when she reads the manuscript, and tortures him into re-writing the book. The role played by James Caan was first offered to William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Richard Dreyfuss, Gene Hackman, and Robert Redford, but they all turned it down before it was eventually offered to Caan. Reiner directed this movie with a budget of $30 million.

It grossed $61.3 million at movie theaters.

Answer: False

Reiner's film "A Few Good Men" was about the court martial of two US Marines, and most scenes take place in a court room, not in an informal meeting with the judge. This movie was released in 1992, and based on a 1989 play by Aaron Sorkin. The movie starred some heavy-hitting Hollywood actors and actresses including Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, J.T. Walsh, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Kiefer Sutherland. One memorable line from the movie is "You can't handle the truth" that is shouted by Jack Nicholson's character at Tom Cruise's character in the military courtroom.

The film is one of Reiner's most successful. It was nominated for a number of Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. It had a budget of $33-40 million, and earned $243.2 million at international box offices.

Answer: Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson

In this Reiner movie, Luke Wilson plays a writer who is heavily in debt to loan sharks, but is suffering from writer's block so he can't get any work published to make money to pay them back. He hires a typist to help him (played by Hudson). They work together and eventually fall in love. Apparently, the movie is loosely based on the true story of Fyodor Dostoevsky.

He wrote his novel "The Gambler" in 1866 with the help of a stenographer. When the novel was done, he realized that he had fallen in love with her.

The movie was released in 2003. Critics panned the movie from the start. It also failed financially. It had a budget of $30 million, but only made $15 million in theaters.

Answer: On a peak in the Himalayas

"The Bucket List" is a wonderful movie about friendship, and the importance of cultivating relationships with friends and family. Two strangers are in the same hospital room, both diagnosed with a terminal illness. They create a bucket list of all the things they want to do before they "kick the bucket". Jack Nicholson plays a crotchety billionaire with the financial resources and Morgan Freeman plays an aging auto mechanic/family man.

The two head out on a round-the-world trip to scratch off as many things from the list as they can. Even though they die months apart, they are buried together atop a peak in the Himalayas by Nicholson's assistant.

It is a heart-warming tear-jerker, but a great movie. This Reiner-directed movie was released in 2007, having spent a pretty hefty budget of $45 million.

However, when the film ended its run in theaters, it had earned $175.4 million.

Answer: Democratic

In this movie, Michael Douglas plays a widowed Democratic president. He gets romantically involved with an environmental lobbyist (played by Annette Bening). The critics gave this movie positive reviews when it was released in 1995. The movie had a production budget of $62 million, and earned $107.9 million in theaters, so it was both a critical and a financial success.

Answer: Shock and Awe

"Shock and Awe" appeared at the Zurich Film Festival in 2017, and was released in the US in 2018. The film is based on the true story of journalists who remained skeptical about stories of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction that President Bush reported in 2003. Rather than simply repeating the words that were coming from the White House, reporters in the Knight Ridder newspapers Washington D.C. bureau did some investigative journalism, investigating each of the claims to see if they had merit.

In the film, Reiner plays the bureau chief who is directing the reporters. Despite having some major stars and being based on a true story, it was a bit of a flop. Critics were not impressed and it failed commercially, with a budget of $16.5 million and theater earnings of only $182,415 plus $2.6 million with home video sales.