Narcissists and the single-mindedly ambitious thrive in Hollywood for the same reason that successful actors and filmmakers are disproportionately neglectful, if not often outright abusive, in their personal lives. From vaudeville impresario Ethel Milne’s relentless “momaging” of Judy Garland — professionally dazzling, personally ruinous — to today’s alleged deadbeat A-list parents, such as Brad Pitt, the entertainment industry is full of extraordinary talent and cautionary tales of family dysfunction.

By all available accounts, film director Rob Reiner was not one of these nightmare parents, nor was his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. The comedy legend famously met the photographer who became his wife while he was directing When Harry Met Sally, with Rob Reiner falling so quickly and transformatively in love that he changed the ending so the titular characters got a happily ever after. The couple spent 39 years of faithful marriage collaborating on films, philanthropy, and having three children while co-parenting Rob Reiner’s older adoptive daughter from his first marriage. The Reiners seemed neither to force their children into the Hollywood spotlight nor neglect them in........

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