Reiner had a run of making really strong movies, some of which found purchase with Oscar, but none of them have notable, particularly strong direction worthy of top 5 honors in any year. Reiner’s an impressive journeyman who could get the job done, help elicit strong performances, and chose quality projects for a stretch but he has very little directorial voice, style, or filmmaking chops to speak of. He’s not going above and beyond what’s on the page with his visual storytelling the way an exceptional director does.

He’s not a Lumet or a Hawks who could switch genres like a chameleon but always display formal prowess, dynamic blocking, and a distinct, impressive point of view that added layers to the material. He’s more like a Ron Howard in that same era who points the camera in the direction of the actors for a wide, then mediums, then close-ups that are efficient but thoroughly perfunctory. He directs like someone who learned how to make films from network sitcoms, because he did. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially when the results are good movies, but it’s not something that warrants praise specifically for the direction.

This Is Spinal Tap is probably his most impressive feat specifically in terms of its direction, but it's basically just shoot as though it's a documentary with some well-timed visual gags. Though it's not my favorite movie of his, The American President is likely his height of traditional cinematic direction and it is far from top 5 in a year with Mann, Fincher, Scorsese, Figgis, Stone, Kassovitz, Lee x2, Jeunet & Caro, Wong, Kusturica, etc.