THE STORY OF US RATING: 6.5 / 10 --> So-so
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WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (10/10) is one of my favorite movies of all-time. This film comes from the director of that film and features the trials and tribulations of a married couple after a 15-year run. Some might say that it's the continuation of WHEN HARRY..., others, like myself, would say that it's a rough draft of an interesting story featuring some great acting, but ultimately burdened by too many copycat (And less successful) moments from the former film (See Little Known Facts).
PLOT: A married couple, with 15 years and two kids under their belts, suddenly find themselves caught in a state of indecision on whether or not to continue their relationship. You see, they have recently come to realize that their initial love for one another has faded over the years, and that all they seem to be left with are many differences of opinion. Will they break up or keep going?
CRITIQUE: Decent film featuring great performances by Pfeiffer and Willis, an interesting story about a couple going through some rough waters in the later years of their marriage, but too many "written" flat jokes by the side characters, an easy ending and an annoying soundtrack placed this film on an overall plate of mediocrity for me. Okay, so I am also a little biased because I thought there were way too many blatant photocopied moments from the successful WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, but even with that aside, this film just seemed to dissolve into too many bickering arguments at certain points, with moments of phony conversations with their "witty" friends just slowing the whole process down further. I think I would have enjoyed this film so much more, if it had focused more on the relationship between Willis and Pfeiffer.
Both actors were at the top of their game in this film with many touching and funny moments between them and their kids. I thought the flashback sequences used in the film were effective and useful in driving us closer into the characters, and appreciated the numerous relationship up-and-down moments to which many people surely were be able to relate. I did find that there was a little too much emphasis on the screaming/shouting variety of scenes, as opposed to more of the lighter moments, but I suppose that was the whole point of the film, you know, to show the "darker" side of a marriage. All in all, I think that most people who have been in relationships should be able to relate to several disagreements from this film, certainly the core reasons behind the conflicts, if not the actual circumstances themselves. Ultimately the film didn't blow me away with any of its rehashed situations, and led me astray with the contrived "witty" banter of their friends. Dramatically, I would recommend it higher, but the comedic low-points should keep you away if you're looking for that sort of escape. Either way, rent WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and thank me in the morning.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Bruce Willis was also going through his own divorce with wife of ten years, Demi Moore, during the filming of this movie. Having seen WHEN HARRY MET SALLY over thirty times, it was all too easy for me to notice the blatant similarities between these two films. Admittedly, many of these moments may show up in other films as well, but appreciating the fact that both of these movies were directed by the same man, makes me wonder if they were coincidences at all. Some might just call it laziness. Please DO NOT read any further if you do not want to ruin any plot points for yourself. SPOILERS AHEAD! Similar scenes between the superior WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and THE STORY OF US: 1. A scene featuring one of the main stars making a spectacle of themselves in a restaurant (Willis in this film/Ryan in WHMS). 2. A cute scene featuring a woman wearing a piff helmet (Pfeiffer in this film/Ryan in WHMS). 3. A meeting of a man and a woman looking for books in a bookstore (Pfeiffer
in this film/Ryan in WHMS). 4. A scene featuring one of the main stars fast-walking with their friend and discussing their love-life (Pfeiffer in this case/Crystal in WHMS). 5. Both films feature the main couple having best friends who also happen to be married to one another (Reiner & Wilson in this case/Carrie Fisher & Bruno Kirby in WHMS). 6. Breakthrough final scene features a reconciliation by the way of one of the characters breaking down and admitting their love for the other, while describing all of the little endearing idiosyncrasies in the other's behavior (Pfeiffer in this one/Crystal in WHMS). 7. Final scene features couple talking directly to the camera about their future (Pfeiffer & Willis in this film/Ryan and Crystal in WHMS).
Review Date: October 17, 1999 Director: Rob Reiner Writers: Alan Zweibel and Jessie Nelson Producers: Rob Reiner, Alan Zweibel and Jessie Nelson Actors: Michelle Pfeiffer as Katie Jordan Bruce Willis as Ben Jordan Genre: Drama Year of Release: 1999 --------------------------------------- JoBlo's Movie Emporium http://www.joblo.com --------------------------------------- (c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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