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'The Story of Us' sensitively portrays a stale marriage

Bruce Willis was not always an action star. Before those "Die Hard" movies and all the others like them where his characters are always bleeding or wise-cracking or bleeding while wise-cracking, Willis was a dramatic actor, starring in a TV series called "Moonlighting" with Cybill Shepherd. Back then the critics thought he could never carry an action film, and now they think just the opposite. Bruce Willis in a drama? Well, he pulled it off in "The Sixth Sense," and he pulls it off again in "The Story of Us."

This is not to say that his performance is the best aspect of this charming movie. Co-star Michelle Pfeiffer's performance is irresistible as always. Willis and Pfeiffer play Ben and Katie Jordan, a married couple with two kids who have fallen on hard times in their relationship.

Those hard times are the focus of "The Story of Us," a film which could be dubbed a reverse romantic comedy, in that it is not about a couple who is in the throes of a fledgling relationship, but rather about a married couple who knows the ins-and-outs of each other, and whose relationship is falling apart. As a couple, their passion is gone and they have begun to grow apart. The very qualities that sparked the fire of the marriage are threatening to take it down in flames.

The film's portrayal of a stale, troubled marriage, led by director Rob Reiner who is a seasoned veteran at romantic comedies ("When Harry Met Sally," "The American President"), is remarkably sensitive and thoughtful. Willis and Pfeiffer, when alone in the frame, stare out into nothing, caught in the uncomfortable silence of a couple that has said just about everything to each other. These scenes are rather poignant. They allow the audience to observe the slow disintegration of a relationship that has lasted 15 years. Reiner accurately represents the condition of a marriage that still exists "for the sake of the kids."

"The Story of Us" manages to establish a nostalgic mood, an impressive feat considering that the audience has only known these characters for less than an hour. Yet the narrative, told mainly in flashback, creates an atmosphere of a happy family in the good old days, allowing the audience to develop a sympathetic attitude to the collapse of the marriage. Eric Clapton's enchanting score helps to develop this nostalgia. The music is not obtrusive, but rather forms a subtle backdrop for a subtle film.

The plot contains little action, mainly consisting of people talking about relationships or those awkward silences. In fact, there is a lot of talking about relationships in this movie, sometimes descending into trite stereotypes about the differences between men and women or irrelevant tangents that only somewhat accomplish their goal of providing humor.

At other points, Willis and Pfeiffer talk directly at the camera, offering insights to their own mental states and emotions. Although this is a popular trend of late, one would hope Reiner would realize the jarring annoyance of this device. It pulls the audience out of the story and when that is all a movie has, don't mess with it.

As a whole though, the talking is an effective and engaging device, reinforcing the overall notion that communication is key to a successful marriage.