Reiner Family Tragedy: A Decade-Old Dinner Recalled

A journalist's recollection of a 2015 dinner with Rob and Michele Reiner has ignited debate online. The "reporter's notebook" piece, published a decade after the event, describes the dinner as both heartwarming and jarring, taking place during the Toronto International Film Festival.

The dinner was connected to the premiere of "Being Charlie," a film about Nick Reiner's addiction struggles, directed by his father. Zeitchik noted Rob's fatherly push for the film, while Nick seemed less engaged. The journalist sensed underlying issues, feeling things were unresolved despite appearances.

Zeitchik's uneasy feelings after the dinner now resonate with the tragic news of Rob and Michele's deaths, with their son Nick arrested for their murders. The journalist reflected on the helplessness and futility he perceived, comparing it to the nation's storyteller being unable to control his own narrative.