Good Casting, Bad Script
This Story Sounds Familiar

I always appreciate two things about a Rob Reiner movie: the casting and the dialogue. I know that the casting director is the brains behind the first and the writer is behind the second, but I think Reiner is usually a magnet for good talent. Which is not to say that he's bulletproof. The Story of Us shows that even great directing and casting can't save a film with a lukewarm script.

I enjoyed The Story of Us insofar as it was a somewhat engaging tale of a marriage in ruin. All of the usual cliches were thrown out. There was no infidelity, no abuse, no financial struggle. In the case of Ben (Bruce Willis) and Katie (Michelle Pfeiffer), they just ran out of love. After 15 years of marriage, they didn't want to be married any more.

But the movie failed when it tried to recapture the magic of Reiner's earlier film When Harry Met Sally.... Using interview-style narratives, multiple flashbacks, and diametrically opposing characters it feels reminiscent of the other work. This is not a coincidence. When Reiner set out to make The Story of Us, he likened it to "Harry and Sally 15 years later."

This alone, however, does not invalidate the movie. After all, he spared the world a sequel, and for that he deserves some praise. The Story of Us is smart and funny, it makes us laugh and feel sad. But the film never became real enough for me. I never cared enough about the characters to get into the story. As a result, I was aware my feelings were being manipulated.

While the scenes between Willis and Pfeiffer are often wonderful, supporting cast members like Paul Reiser, Rita Wilson, and Reiner himself are delegated to bit parts that rarely move the story forward. Dinner talk sounds more like stand-up comedy routines than real conversation. Likewise, Tim Matheson pops up like a cardboard villain. His appearance and disappearance are equally unexplained. If not for Willis and Pfeiffer, the movie wouldn't be at all convincing.

There's a real possibility that I didn't "get" The Story of Us because I'm a guy. I'll be the first to admit that I have to be in just the right mood for a "chick flick." One of the people I went with said she would have given this movie a ten. A ten? I think that's a little extreme, considering it isn't even in the same league as movies like American Beauty. Still, for what it's worth, that's one woman's opinion.

In my opinion, The Story of Us was an interesting little movie without any warm & fuzzy feelings. It won't be that memorable in the long run. I'll stick with the classics, or at least something written by Nora Ephron.

MY RATING: 5 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 97 min.

Good Casting, Bad Script This Story Sounds Familiar

Good Casting, Bad Script
This Story Sounds Familiar