A História de Nós Dois

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.

This is a disturbing, bittersweet romantic comedy about two people who's 15 year marriage is unraveling. Actually, it is more of a romantic tragedy than a comedy. Ben and Katie Jordan (Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer) are two mismatched people in the marriage that never should have been. He is spontaneous, romantic and impulsive, with low frustration tolerance and an explosive hair trigger temper. She is pragmatic, a compulsive perfectionist with unrealistic expectations, and a high need for control. She takes everything personally and never forgives or forgets a slight. They both blame each other for their disappointments. The pattern is clear. He doesn't meet her standards so she snipes, he explodes and then she accuses him of not listening. She then throws up every mistake he's ever made and every fault he's ever had. This goes on ad nauseam as their romantic obsession with one another continues to get the best of any sense they might have to call it quits. Like moths to a flame, they keep returning for another scorching.

This film is thought provoking in that it portrays marital difficulties that are all too familiar in our society. The problem is that it tries to give every problem known to man (with the exception of wife beating) to this couple and relies on the single strand of a long forgotten romance to be the only chance of keeping them together.

In watching the behind the scenes featurette on this film, Rob Reiner and writers Alan Zweibel and Jessie Nelson discuss how the story evolved. As it turns out, it was a montage of all their own marital problems. So the film was, in essence cathartic dumping ground for the writers and director.

As filmmaking, it was terrific. Rob Reiner weaves the story together expertly, creating a stark contrast between the joy of the romance and the reality of the relationship. The film was punctuated by numerous funny and sweet moments that make the viewer smile and glow with delight.

Michelle Pfeiffer gives a splendid performance of a very emotionally complex and neurotic character. It took a lot of courage for her to take this part because she was playing the least likeable character in the film, something of a departure for her. Bruce Willis was as good as one could have expected considering the fact that nobody was blowing anything up. Actually, he was quite good as the impulsive, childlike romantic, but when it came to the arguments and the serious displays of resentment, he played the scenes too harshly, almost commando style.

Reiner does good camera work and puts together some good rapid fire scenes that have impact and give great insight into the relationship. He also took the film on location in Venice to add a little romantic interlude, and somehow got Eric Clapton to write a great theme song.

The problem is the story. Reiner stated in the featurette that he intended this to be a realistic bittersweet look at the real problems relationships face. But he tried to do too much and made this film a grossly exaggerated caricature of a relationship in crisis. It is really "The War of The Roses" lite only it takes itself too seriously. No one I know who saw this could believe that this couple could possibly have stayed married for 15 weeks, no less 15 years.

The result is a noxious marathon of petty arguments that get under the viewers' skin after a while. It is about as entertaining as watching your best friends have a niggling argument in a public restaurant. The whole thing leaves you very uncomfortable and you don't go home feeling like you've had a nice evening.

So, while it succeeds as filmmaking, it fails as a film. I gave this film a 6/10. There were so many good elements to it that I can't see trashing it. But the story is one that requires a level of emotional endurance that few viewers will be willing or able to invest to get any enjoyment out of it.

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.

This movie holds so much truth; it cannot possibly be watched by anyone, man or woman who are or who have been in a serious relationship without any such crying at some point during it, or at least being strongly enough emotionally affected to do so. I cried. I cried before the opening credits song was more than a few lines in. It spoke to me like few movies have. It is the first movie about the subject of love that I've watched since I became this involved, physically and emotionally with my wife-to-be. That alone makes the movie have an impact on me, good or not. That it dealt with a subject that has so recently become so important to me. A successful marriage. But while I was this into the film, while it had this impact on me... I can't claim that it was great. The performances are. The editing is. The script is. Most of the parts are. But somehow, the sum, it just doesn't add up to being that... great. It might be that the ending feels flat. It might be that the movie offers no answers, only observations. The movie goes back and forth between present day chaos/unhappiness and fond memories... these were particularly difficult to watch without crying. This works to the film's advantage and creates a sense of more than a non-linear time-line; a life-time, years upon years of memories returning to this old married couple. The story of two people who love each other... they do. They've just tired of each other, of the differences, of the arguing. Comes very close to being great, but it just doesn't quite make it, I'm afraid. Worth watching for any fans of the genre, and has plenty of insights to offer. I recommend this to anyone who is or has been in a serious relationship. 6/10

I had the pleasure of viewing the Story of Us when it first came out and to this day it still remains to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer do a fantastic job of portraying a real life couple with real life problems. I believe that the reason this movie rates so well is that we all actually have these day to day kind of problems in a long term relationship and even though we have tough times and hardships, it doesn't mean that we are failures or that it isn't worth it to give the realtionship another try. I would reccomend this movie to anyone and everyone. 5 star rating. Excellent movie, Excellent choice of actors.