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The subject, a marriage that is unravelling, does not necessarily make for a great theatre date movie (I can't see somebody saying, "Hey, baby, let's go see 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf' to get in 'the mood'"), but on video, the film's many subtleties and moods can be truly appreciated.
The two leads, Bruce Willis, as a laid-back, disorganized comedy writer, and Michelle Pfeiffer, as a tightly-wound writer of crossword puzzles, have a lot of charm, but give uneven performances. One wishes that Willis' intensity and energy in the restaurant scene with Rob Reiner and Rita Wilson, or Pfeiffer's, in the climactic speech at the film's conclusion, could have been maintained through the entire film. There are a few too many moments where the actors coast, for the film to be truly great.
The high point of the film comes near the conclusion, when Pfeiffer flashes back through a montage of the major moments of her marriage. Until this sequence, the relationship doesn't have an emotional core, something to really make us sympathize with the couple. Reiner depends heavily on the stars' charisma to involve us, but the nature of the story works against this. This isn't a knock at Willis and Pfeiffer; I'm not sure Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan could have pulled it off, either!
The supporting cast is very good, particularly Reiner and Wilson (she's making a career of playing wise-cracking friends to neurotic women in big films!), Paul Reisner and Julie Hagerty (nice to see her back, she looks marvellous!), and Tim Matheson, (who manages to make a divorced, lonely dentist, trying to connect, not come across as his character in 'Animal House'.) Watch, also, for a funny cameo by Betty White, Red Buttons, Jayne Meadows, and Tom Poston, literally manifesting the line about six people being in a married couple's bed.
'The Story of Us' is not as good a film as it might have been, but it does offer some excellent moments, and the upbeat ending offers hope that, through understanding, relationships do not have to self-destruct.
This isn't a bad message to pass along!
So what's not to like about Bruce Willis and Michele Pfeiffer ideally mated in a movie? Well, dispite the fact that they are beautiful film stars, they are portrayed as a man and a woman with unfortunately normal problems that hit pretty much on target to myself and my wife (both second marriages).
He is wild eyed and spontaneous, she is preoccupied with the car not having wiper fluid. He likes sex with as the mood strikes, she wants to make sure that they haven't forgotten to put tooth fairy quarters under the pillows. I could go on and on, but if you have been in a long term relationship, this will hit you hard somewhere, because even the beautiful people with lots of money have pretty much the exact same kind of problems keeping things working right, man and woman wise.
Would have been 5 stars with a divorce at the end, but after 90 minutes of fighting, we get a last second syrupy ending. You can feel it coming, but still worth seeing.
Think of the title: "beautiful people act out the fight we just had yesterday".
Recommended for adults only, kids will yawn and newlyweds will remark "this could never happen to us".
Reflection is the key word here, for Reiner has crafted a film that is steeped in it; it's the way the characters involved play through the drama of their immediate lives and attempt to get on with it. And it becomes an almost voyeuristic journey as you watch two people attempting to discover just what went wrong with their love, and not only when, but why. Katie Jordan (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Ben Jordan (Bruce Willis) had it all at one time, but something happened; something in the fifteen years between the merging of two lives into one, during which they brought two children into the world and knew true happiness, and the realization that things had changed suddenly. Or, perhaps, not so suddenly; and it's almost uncomfortable to be a part of it, observing from the sidelines and understanding what the principals involved simply can't seem to comprehend.
It's the little things that are doing them in, and they just don't see it. The main element being the inability to see themselves through the eyes of the other. And it's not that they're self-centered by any means, it just a matter of instinctively wanting to maintain the autonomy that makes them unique, which in the beginning was what attracted them to one another. It's a conundrum, and it's universal. It's a matter of two people needing to reach that point-- which according to the individuals involved is going to vary greatly-- at which they can step outside of themselves and truly align their spirit with that of their significant other. Some may call it unconditional love, but in reality it's something that goes beyond even that. It's like discovering the meaning of life, or the true meaning of love. And for some, it's something that unfortunately may forever fall just beyond their ability to grasp.
A dramatic film with comedic overtones-- inasmuch as life itself is often funny, even at the most inopportune times-- Reiner takes something of a "When Harry Met Sally" approach with it, which initially doesn't seem to work; after all, this is decidedly not a romantic comedy. But as the story unfolds you begin to realize that Reiner knows exactly what he's doing, because in retrospect, this is the way it goes in real life. Things may be disintegrating internally, but life goes on; where the good times and laughter prevailed before, it remains, undaunted by the strife it fails to recognize in it's midst. So, in the end, you have to give Reiner credit for having his finger on the pulse of reality, which at the beginning of the film comes across as somewhat pretentious, but by the end makes perfect sense and works beautifully in the telling of this story.
Michelle Pfeiffer turns in a heartfelt performance as Katie, proving once again what a gifted actor she truly is. Watching Katie, you know exactly what she is feeling and why, and Pfeiffer allows you to become emotionally involved to the point that you want to intervene and tell her you know what the problem is and how she can fix it. Her Katie is a good person, a loving wife and mother, and you desperately want things to work out for her. And it's frustrating to have to sit on the sidelines and be unable to help. Which says something about the caliber of her performance. It's that reality she brings to the character that draws you in so intimately, and it's one of the strengths of the film.
Another strong point is the performance of Bruce Willis, who as Ben continues to shed that tough guy, "Die Hard" persona and emerge as an extremely capable actor with a range that is expanding with every movie he makes, which he's demonstrated in such films as "Unbreakable" and "The Sixth Sense." Suffice to say that he's come a long way since his "Moonlighting" days.
The supporting cast includes Colleen Rennison (Erin), Jake Sandvig (Josh), Rita Wilson (Rachel), Rob Reiner (Stan), Julie Hagerty (Lisa), Tim Matheson (Marty), Red Buttons (Arnie), Jayne Meadows (Dot), Betty White (Lillian) and Tom Poston (Harry). Ultimately a satisfying experience, "The Story of Us" will touch some nerves and may reawaken some disconcerting feelings in many who see it, but like life, it's an emotional journey worth taking. It's a "Stop and smell the roses" kind of film, but without any maudlin sentimentality or melodramatics. Well acted and presented, it's a film that is definitely worth a look.
It's sad to witness the break up of a marriage. It's sadder still is to watch Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis portray a couple wrestling with this... Read more
