The Story of Us (Universal, R)
Starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer
Rating:
Two stars - It's a story for some of us, at least.
And the award for the biggest philosophical rambling-inducing movie of 1999 goes to "The Story of Us."
Let's take just one possible example: "You see, I think this movie tells us that life is made up of all kinds of little moments that are collected to form like a scrapbook or a big ball of foil or something. All these moments then make up our lives. Whoa."
What this movie really tells us comes straight from the dialogue: happy endings do not exist, only mostly happy endings. Because that is the best we can do, why not be happy when we reach it? Through decent acting and a tight story, the audience is able to overlook annoying doses of sitcom faux pas to enjoy a sappy tale of them.
Katie and Ben Jordan (Pfeiffer and Willis) are a couple on the verge of divorce. Every time they talk, the conversation takes a wicked turn into a viscious argument. The only saving grace is their ability to hide their problems from the kids by showering them with love. In fact, that part must really get annoying for the kids. They look sick and tired of the affection by the end of the film.
Anyway, while the kids are away at summer camp, the couple decides to forge through with a separation. Ben tries to find relief in his oddball friends (Paul Reiser and Rob Reiner) while Katie talks things through with her friends (Rita Wilsn and Julie Hagerty). Although the friends try to comfort, both members of the couple start to fade into memories from their past.
The flashbacks run the gamut of emotions: from the births of the kids to a trip to Italy to a really wierd scene involving all four of their parents in the same bed as Ben and Katie during an escalating argument. The memories fly by but are well-connected, fleshing out the couple.
Can the marriage be saved? Can all be forgiven? Because the characters have been given so much background, it is easy to care about how the two end up.
The sitcom formula comes in when we look at the couple's friends. In a real shocker, Reiser is extremely annoying in this movie. The conversations about the quirky side of marriage are kind of humorous, but Reiser, in his brief time on screen, manages to seek every nerve ending that causes annoyance.
The funniest scene doesn't have anything to do with the dialogue. When Ben and Katie go up to the camp to smother the kids with love, the couple tries their hardest to hide their animosity. The emotion starts to slip in a friendly ping-pong game that quickly gets out of hand with a viscious overhand smash by Ben in the direction of Katie. Not that's entertainment.
In the end, "The Story of Us" manages to give us a good look into the troubles of keeping a marriage together. For those that are struggling just to find a date, this movie may seem a little too much to grasp just yet. But those looking for a feel-good story to provoke us to think while creating a warm, fuzzy feeling inside will not be disappointed.
originally reviewed 10/21/99 in the Northern Star.
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