Rob Reiner and his son Nick Reiner, candidly discuss their heartbreaking, personal stories with addiction and recovery. Their film, Being Charlie, puts these transformative stories into powerful cinematic action. The movie, released in May 2016, tells the story of a young, privileged son of a high-profile celebrity who battles drug addiction and seeks recovery. This candid exploration of substance abuse stems from Nick’s personal struggles and his efforts to navigate the challenges of addiction.
In a recent interview, Rob Reiner reflected on the difficult decisions he faced while supporting his son during his struggles. He remembered being told that he should use tough love with his method.
“They told us, ‘You have to be tough, it has to be tough love,’ which is not my nature, I’m not a disciplinarian,” – Rob Reiner
Even with all this great advice, Rob struggled with the emotional burden of being tough on his son. He remarked that the process of making the film together became a cathartic one for the two of them.
“We didn’t set out to make it be some cathartic experience but it turned out that it was,” – Rob Reiner
Now 32, Nick met his co-writer Matt Elisofon while they were both in a long-term rehab center. Once there, they began brainstorming concepts for what would become “Being Charlie.” He shared how a big part of making the film was learning to see things a different way with his father and their relationship.
“I thought I knew everything at first when I went in to this, and then I realized I don’t know anything, and I should probably just listen to what he has to say,” – Nick Reiner
The story of the film captures the brutal truth of addiction, no matter a person’s privilege. Rob emphasized this point during the interview.
“It doesn’t matter if you have money, you don’t have money, if you’re, you know, have advantages or you don’t. These problems can affect anybody,” – Rob Reiner
Nick reiterated this point, cautioning against the assumption that privilege can save you from the fallout of substance use.
“If you keep doing drugs, you won’t stay privileged for long. You end up roughing it out,” – Nick Reiner
Though the father-son duo originally envisioned a documentary feature, the two worked together and reworked the project over several iterations before finally deciding on an hour-long comedy-drama format. For the first few months, they really struggled with character development. For example, Nick’s depiction of the father figure was too evil in the film, which was troubling.
“The father originally was written as very black-and-white bad guy, and I thought, ‘Oh God, that’s what Nick thinks of me?’” – Rob Reiner
Understanding that was the beginning of some important conversations between them during the early writing process. Nick wanted to protect his father’s feelings, while still attempting to capture their messy relationship truthfully.
“It was hard for my own father for a while to think that I thought of him that way, and to convince him that that’s not how I felt,” – Nick Reiner
Rob was very honest about the struggles they went through making “Being Charlie.”
“There were times we had fights, and you know, we went at each other, and that to me was, you know, at times, was difficult. It was very emotional, but it was also the most satisfying creative experience I’ve ever had,” – Rob Reiner
The film’s heart is grounded in Nick’s own journey with addiction. Rob shared how he initially struggled with how to portray a father figure who is perceived as harsh but ultimately seeks to protect his child.
Looking back on their collective path through the art of filmmaking and the process of recovery has made both Rob and Nick even more tight-knit. In this joint creative process, they were able to develop a deeper appreciation and understanding for each other’s perspectives.
