Story of Us, The Review

Ben and Katie have been married for 15 years... and while things are sweet as apple pie in front of their two children, behind closed doors there`s little love left... fighting becomes the condition of the relationship ... when the children go away to summer camp, the two decide to separate... and it`s painful... remembering the past when things were so happy and confronting the emptiness of now... Rob Reiner directs and plays the part of Ben`s friend and confidante, the other mate is played by Paul Reiser... Katie`s main support group comprises Rita Wilson and Julie Hagerty... and the rather brittle comedy of the scenes with these friends are the ones that didn`t ring true to me in the film... but I found a lot of truth in the relationship between Ben and Katie... perhaps because of the power of the performances by Michelle Pfeiffer who`s extraordinarily good and Bruce Willis who`s making such an effort to shrug off his big screen action persona. I actually found the film very moving, very honest, except maybe for its resolution... I did a survey in the lift after the end of the film - it wasn`t a very reliable one, but it turns out that none of the men liked the film, but the women did...David`s Comments:Rob Reiner in Woody Allen territory - the story of a marriage on the rocks. A sad film about how difficult it is to live with someone, it`s distinguished by two excellent performances in the lead roles but a totally unconvincing ending. There are also some terrible miscalculations, like a fantasy scene in which the parents of both couples share a bed with them. The film lacks focus, sharpness.