Director Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... was about a relationship beginning;The Story of Us is about a relationship possibly coming to an end. Bruce Willis plays a comedy writer who chafes at what he sees as his wife's lack of spontaneity; Michelle Pfeiffer, who creates crossword puzzles, stews over what she sees as her husband's irresponsibility. The arc of their separation is interspliced with glimpses and scenes from their marriage--a combination of high points (the proposal, the births of their two children), low points (screaming fights), and the in-between (sessions with marriage counselors, moments in bed staring at the TV). Reiner indicates the passage of time by Willis and Pfeiffer's various hairstyles, and they occasionally let their hair act for them, but at other points their performances are sincere and deeply felt. The sheer power of the themes--the inevitability of conflict in a relationship, the necessity and difficulty of growth--give the movie a degree of emotional force, and there's no doubt that everyone who's gone through a difficult period in their marriage (which is just about every married couple) will find something to connect with. However, there isn't a lot of chemistry between the two leads. In one sequence Willis and Pfeiffer go to Venice to rekindle their old spark and find themselves hounded by another couple, the Kirbys from Cleveland, who are loud, crass, boring, and oblivious. Nonetheless, the Kirbys have a buoyancy that the glossy and elegant stars never quite manage; if The Story of Us had been the story of them, it might have been a better story to watch. --Bret Fetzer
Tara Blanchard | Erin Jordan at Five |
Bruce Willis | Ben Jordan |
Michelle Pfeiffer | Katie Jordan |
Colleen Rennison | Erin Jordan at Ten |
Jake Sandvig | Josh Jordan at Twelve |
Red Buttons | Arnie Jordan |
Casey Boersma | Josh Jordan at Two and a Half |
Tim Matheson | Marty |
Rob Reiner | Stan |
Julie Hagerty | Liza |
Rita Wilson | Rachel |
Dylan Boersma | Josh Jordan at Three |
Ken Lerner | Dr. Rifkin |
Victor Raider-Wexler | Dr. Hopkins |
Albert Hague | Dr. Siegler |
Jayne Meadows | Dot |
Tom Poston | Harry |
Betty White | Lillian Jordan |
Daniel Henson | Josh Jordan at Seven |
Adam Zweibel | Camper |
Alan Zweibel | Uncle Shelly (credits) / Uncle Josh |
Bill Kirchenbauer | Andy Kirby |
Lucy Webb | Joanie Kirby |
Jessie Nelson | Realtor |
Tommy Tang | Cooking Teacher |
Yaping | Store Clerk |
James Ritz | Maitre d' (as James J. Ritz) |
Ryan Townsend | Waiter |
Michael Chapman | Waiter |
Jordan Lund | Clergyman |
Robert Alan Beuth | Obstetrician |
Marci Rosenberg Gayner | Sonia |
Marci Rosenberg | Sonia |
Art Evans | George |
Renee Ridgeley | Sara (as Renée Ridgeley) |
Matthew Moreno | Taxi Driver |