A decade before his death, Rob Reiner exposed his bond with son Nick in the movie Being Charlie

Ten years before the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, the legendary director worked on a deeply personal film, Being Charlie, with his son Nick, that explored addiction, family tension and the complicated bond between parents and their child.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. And it was inspired by Nick Reiner’s own experiences with addiction and homelessness. At the time, the project was described by the family as an honest attempt to reflect the challenges they had faced together.

So what is Being Charlie actually about?

via YouTube

Being Charlie centres on Charlie Mills, an 18-year-old struggling with addiction who repeatedly enters and leaves rehab. His father, David, is a famous actor who later runs for political office. While his mother is equally determined to “fix” their son, often through strict and clinical approaches.

The story focuses on the growing tension between Charlie and his parents, particularly the emotional distance between father and son. Charlie feels misunderstood and controlled, while his parents believe tough love is the only way to keep him alive.

Rob Reiner directed the film, while Nick Reiner co-wrote the script alongside a friend he met in rehab. The characters were widely understood to be closely inspired by their real-life family dynamics. This is something the Reiners openly acknowledged at the time.

Cary Elwes played the father figure, David, while actor Nick Robinson portrayed Charlie.

How closely did the film reflect real family life?

via YouTube

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In a post-screening Q&A, Rob explained that while making the film, “we didn’t set out for it to be cathartic or therapeutic, but it turned out to be that.”

He also admitted “there were disagreements” during the process. He said there were moments when “it was really rough” trying to decide how honestly to portray their relationship on screen.

Nick Reiner later said parts of the process could feel overwhelming. But he also acknowledged that working together helped them understand each other better.

Why doesn’t the film offer easy answers?

Unlike many films about addiction, Being Charlie does not offer a neat resolution. The story ends without a clear closure, reflecting the ongoing and complicated nature of recovery and family relationships.

In one of the film’s final scenes, the father apologises for relying too heavily on professionals instead of listening to his son. The moment mirrors comments Rob and Michele made publicly years later. They admitted they sometimes believed experts over Nick himself.

Rob told the Los Angeles Times, “When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son.”

Michele added that they had been told Nick was manipulating them, and they believed it at the time.

At the time of the film’s release, Rob said their relationship had improved significantly. He said, “By the time we got to the point of making the movie, our relationship had gotten so much closer.” However, even then, he acknowledged that healing was not simple or complete.

Yesterday, Nick Reiner got arrested and right now he is in custody for his suspected connection to the murder.

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