Storia di noi due

This is a pretty film, often poignant, and a bit too close to the bone at times for my liking. Still, it carries you along quite nicely - making it's point that time grinds marriages down more often than affairs - and then sort of stops.

The leads were great: Willis was really good, Pfeiffer was fantastic (hey, i'm a fan, okay). But, the characters were tough to take. The self-pity was intercut with nice bits of comedy, but it felt like Reiner was cutting from a wake to a pratt-fall on occasions.

The final scenes, with Pfeiffer's frightening display of multi-emotional skill (at once excellent and utterly ghastly), betrayed the characters. Normality was implausibly resumed, and Pfeiffer came across as at fault for taking the whole film to get real, and Willis looked much relieved that she'd taken the sanity pill and he could quit trying to change himself.

And the end was a surprise. I thought there was going to be more: a deeper level of story. But it ended without a sense of closure.

When "The Story of Us" opened in 1999, the critical disdain was so overwhelming, that my fiancee and I opted not to see it. After all, the ads focussed on its romantic comedy aspects, directed by Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally), and starred Bruce Willis (who had just undergone a public divorce).

In retrospect, it's easy to assume why it got panned... this is NOT a romantic comedy, although there are comedic elements. Those expecting a Harry/Sally II would be clearly be disappointed. Those expecting some insight to Bruce Willis' marriage, too, would be disappointed. The film is neither of those things.

Of course, had the associations not existed, and the ad campaign refocussed its efforts, the film would be far better respected. That's why time will be very kind to this film.

Not everything works. Some scenes, like the language of the women, are too profanity-laced to sound like real women (making David Mamet's writing seem like Jane Austen by comparison). There's a terrible scene with Willis in a restaurant--unrealistic, unfunny.

Why then recommend the film? Because the agony, the depth of painful emotions, are real. Find a better acting job by Willis or Pfieffer. Find one!!! Can't be done.

Do you not see it? Do you not recognize that this film has one foot firmly planted in the light comedy world, and another foot firmly planted in the incredible realism (almost too realistic) angst of a failing marriage? Do you not see it? Do you not hear Reiner's concerns projected in the scene where Willis requests to Reiser his dream of writing a book on his grandmother--is this not Reiner saying that he WOULD go further with the serious story here, but the audience, too set by his own past achievements, will not let him? Is this not exactly what happened, when _Story of Us_ was released?

Don't be fooled. This is one serious movie. It should be required viewing for all engaged couples. It's a fantastic wake-up call. The circumstances that lead up to the arguments are simplified, but the emotions are raw. I repeat, time will be very kind to this movie.

Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer are Ben and Katie Jordan in `The Story of Us', Rob Reiner's latest directorial effort. The Jordans have been married for 15 years and have reached a turning point in their relationship. Authors Alan Zweibel and Jesse Nelson explore the past and present of the couple in a mosaic of vignettes throughout the years they have been together. There are scenes of joy, laughter, anger and frustration. The film basically takes place in the present as the teenage son and daughter leave for summer camp. The couple decides to separate during the summer vacation to re-evaluate their situation and spare the children any suffering. The scenes jump back and forth revealing the deterioration and lack of any real communication in their day to day life. Zweibel explained in an interview that the screenplay was somewhat autobiographical, but when he realized the script was somewhat one-sided (male) he joined with Jesse Nelson to rewrite the script and deliver a more realistic and even-handed reflection of the marriage. They are fairly successful. However, Willis' Ben seems to be the more sympathetic of the two. In one scene Ben has just begun dinner out with his two best friends,a married couple played warmly and humorously by Rob Reiner and Rita Wilson. In a loud eruption of anger and resentment he voices his emotions disrupting the quiet tone of the restaurant. He leaves the table and paces outside on the street. In this tenderly revealing scene Willis, without a word, shows the life-shattering trauma he is going through. Willis has developed into a fine and subtly sensitive actor. Just when the audience thinks all of its sympathies are on Ben's side, Katie has a 3-minute monologue in which she spews out her reactions to all that has happened. Pfeiffer's performance here is also a tour de force. If only what has come before had the power of these two sequences. Eric Clapton's music effectively underscores the highs and lows, his song quietly framing the beginning and ending of the film. Married folks will definitely identify with this couple. One could hear the sounds of recognition from the audience at the screening I attended. It remains to be seen if this story will attract and entertain a wide range of moviegoers.

When I first saw the trailer for "The Story of Us" I thought that this film was going to be different from anything I had ever seen. I had been disillusioned by all these movies coming out that are basically the same and it was sort of refreshing to see that finally someone was trying something different. So I set my plans to include this movie--until I heard the reviews. Everyone seemed to hate this film--even my movie-loving cousin admitted she walked out in the middle because she couldn't stand it. She told me that it's more of a "married person" film than a film for teens like us, so I canned my idea. BIG MISTAKE! I wish I could have seen this marvelous film on the big screen--there's something about actors that makes them seem so much better when their faces are as big as you are. Not that that's necessary. After finally seeing the film (my mom bought it and "forced" me to watch it) it just made me realize why almost every movie now is a cliche: some people cannot appreciate truly unique art, which is why I think this movie caught a bad rap.

I honestly cannot say I have any first-hand experience on the subject of divorce. My parents are still married and have never really had to consider that option. I am still at that stage where marriage is a distant pit-stop on the road to my future. So why did I love this movie? It told me the truth. All of my life I have seen love depicted as an all-powerful, all-conquering thing. And I have no doubt that it is--this movie told me that too. But it also showed me that maybe being in love isn't always a perfect, happy thing. You've got to take the good and the bad. Ben said it best when he told Katie "Nobody said it was going to be easy." Finally. Finally someone tells me it's NOT going to be easy. Now some people think that this film will make you not want to get married. I feel quite the opposite, because it shows you that if you truly love your partner you can get through the tough stuff.

I don't understand how people can say this movie had bad acting. Were they watching the same movie I saw? Both Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer were amazing in this movie. I swear that as I watched them I completely believed they were a married couple. And the passion that went into their arguments was not "overacting" as I have seen it dubbed. Have you seen married people fight? It's just like that. And the good thing is the movie didn't choose sides. It just showed the arguments and the feelings behind them and left no one looking the bad guy. And Michelle Pfeiffer's beautiful performance during that closing monologue was worth watching the entire movie, even if you didn't like it. And the cinematography was brilliant. Sometimes flashbacks in movies can be risky, especially if they happen often as in this film. But the movie just seemed to flow wonderfully, and Katie's flashback in the car on the way to pick up the kids from camp is one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen in a movie. It's amazing to see 15 years of marriage in 15 seconds and not feel shortchanged. That scene captured everything brilliantly. And Eric Clapton's music adds a lot to the movie. He is definitely talented, but it's also because the music seemed to capture the mood of the film. All in all, this was an amazing experience and is definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's funny, entertaining, moving, and very well-made. I'd recommend it to anyone. Even if you don't like it, you will take something from it.

Bruce Willis, in my opinion, is a very accomplished and underrated actor. Although many of his past characters are over-the-top, he never really plays them as such. He has a subtleness that suits him, which is why he is as successful as he is. Unfortunately, for a while, he has been typecast in his numerous action movies, that most of the general public has written him off as another cliché. That's a shame. His best performances, again in my opinion, have been in `12 Monkeys,' `Pulp Fiction,' `The Sixth Sense' and here as well.

`The Story of Us' works in many ways. The dynamic between Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer (an actress so wonderful that I can't put into words) is electric. Their non-stop fights are involving, sometimes comical and often painful to watch, but in a good way. There's a scene in the film when Bruce Willis is in a hotel and Michelle Pfeiffer is at home and they call each other back-and-forth, asking meaningless questions when the audience knows they want to talk about their martial problems. It was fascinating to me. Honestly, I have never seen the more successful `When Harry Met Sally…,' sadly, but this film is constantly compared to it since both films were directed by Rob Reiner. Rob Reiner is an eclectic director. He has, virtually, covers all the genres in the business. He has works ranging from romantic comedies (The American President, When Harry Met Sally…) to dramas (A Few Good Men, Ghosts Of Mississippi) to fantasies (The Princess Bride) to suspense thrillers (Misery).

There was some great supportive work from Rob Reiner himself, Rita Wilson and Paul Reiser. There is a scene I remember from the trailer where Rita Wilson is going on a tantrum about her husband's misplacing of toilet paper. I smiled in that scene in the trailer and I laughed out loud during the movie. Interestingly enough, while I liked the couple's bickering, I guess the movie could have been more successful if it wasn't relying so heavily on it, thus keeping this film from being one of the very best of the year. Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer are, in fact, at the top of their game and I liked their chemistry well enough to give it a strong recommendation.