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Best movie of this year hands down!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

OK.... I get the negative reviews if you're trying to process this movie straight on... If your expectation is cheesy romcom or a serious reflection of what marriage truly looks like then perhaps you might have some harsh comments to make. In my opinion, this movie does an excellent job of balancing between the two... Which to some may make it feel disjointed and not as smooth but I think it adds to the charm. I think one needs to consider how this movie could have been made. Yes it could have taken to the heights of what may be considered serious issues that arise through the course of 15-20 years of marriage ... But is that going to be entertaining and a pleasant way to spend your evening? Instead you see that the highlighted issues between Katie and Ben may seem initially trivial, comical, unrealistic (insert your own descriptor here), but does the heart of that issue not reflect some truth in what partners battle when being married for eons? I found it cleverly hidden to allow for people to identify and interpret as something that they could relate to... Not lets take the whole argument literally as that's exactly what happens to everyone, or on the other end of the spectrum... This mirrors your real life so much why the hell would you want to pay the price of a movie ticket to watch it on a big screen...Yes there is arguing... A lot of it... And certainly you probably need to have a certain sense of humour to get Willis and Reiner and their tops of the legs humour (which I personally found hilarious... Then again my humour is quite broad). Michelle's touching speech at the end is a bit hammy.... Again... I think it was meant to be. Touching, thought provoking, poignant, with some air and humour and lightness. In a nutshell, it's all about the expectations you have. If you open yourself up to it, it's a very enjoyable movie. You get to see a side of Bruce that isn't common, Michelle is gorgeous to watch throughout, she is delightful and resonates all that is pfeifferesque - essentially why pfans will watch whatever she decides she wants to star in.

This has to be one of my favorite movies. My husband and I watch this and we both end up in tears (at different points) and can identify with the characters. We appreciate each other more (at least for a little while) after watching this movie. Marriage is not easy and the road that this couple travels together hits home with us. When feeling like things are getting too hard and giving up would just be easier, watching this movie puts things into perspective. Do I think that this movie is good for people having marriage difficulties? Maybe. But I do think that this is a good movie for anyone who has ever been married, or wants to be married, or is married. The fact that this movie has Bruce Willis in it was an added bonus, I mean, how can you go wrong with him in a movie?

Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer are great actors; there's no denying that. But even the best actors in the world can't breathe believable life into dialog that is overly flowery and complex. And this script is full of tongue-twisting speeches that Pfeiffer and Willis just can't overcome.In a way, the writing is actually pretty beautiful -- certainly it's far better than the tripe in most movies (and it's the only thing that elevates this much above a "Lifetime, made-for TV" flick). But it simply isn't the way that people talk. The dialog -- especially Pfeiffer's mouth- full-of-a-monologue at the end of the film -- is filled with unnecessarily big and non- conversational words and long, complex sentences that don't exactly trip of the tongue. Overall, that final scene was pretty touching, and the meaning of what Katie is saying is deep and important -- and ultimately, it's the only thing that makes the movie worth sitting through. But nobody talks like that. And then there are the scenes where the Ben and Katie talk to the camera, narrating the story. Again, if it was writing in a book -- "prose" as opposed to "dialog" -- I'd consider it quite good writing. But clunkers like "...maybe it was the stuff of life..." (that separated us) are so distracting that they ruin the flow of the movie. The ultimate point of Katie's final speech, and I guess of the whole movie, is that you should choose to be with someone because of the quality of his or her character. Amen. But neither of these people really exhibited a depth of character to make them endearing to viewers or to each other. And even if someone has a sterling character, would you want to waste your life with a person who can't stop yelling at you? Though the movie doesn't take sides, I personally found Katie far more annoying than Ben -- and her rigidity, coldness, and inability to really communicate made it pretty unbelievable that Ben would want to stay with her. Life is too short to stay with someone you bicker that much with, in my opinion. It's true that sometimes you can find yourself in love with someone who really pushes your buttons. But there was never really a sense of these characters being in love, so I certainly didn't find myself rooting for them to work things out.One might make the point that parents should stay together "for the children," but as the child of parents who argued a lot when I was young, and who now (divorced) say they stayed together for the kids, I strongly believe that parents don't do their children favors by doing that. I'll admit that maybe watching this sort of story was upsetting for me to endure because of that personal history. But from reading other readers' comments, it seems that not many people found this an enjoyable film to watch. (I'm not saying that every movie should make you laugh out loud, or feel better, or whatever ... but a movie like this is such a downer that it makes you want your two hours back.)I absolutely can't recommend this film if you have any other alternatives. If it's a choice between this and a rerun of "Full House," I guess you could give this a try. But if there's some way you can just watch the last 10 or 15 minutes, that's about the only part worth watching.

I was miffed the first time I saw this film. Miffed that I had allowed the opinions of others to steer me away from it until it came out on DVD. What a lovely bitter sweet/sweetly bitter film. After seeing The Story Of Us and talking to others about it, I came to the pejorative conclusion that the folk I spoke to just didn't get the film because they simply had not been there. I realized that no one I talked to at first had shared his or her lives with anyone for any more than a few years. This film deals with the daily wear and tear of ANY truly long-term relationship. It is an accurate, albeit theatrical, portrayal of the way high ups and devastating downs that can come to two people who love each other … hate each other … need each other … want each other desperately … hate each other some more and finally love each other again. I concluded that those who had never been to the end (and I mean the it's over and I am outta here end) of a relationship and still been able to pull away form the precipice and put things back together again, just didn't have a clue. So there my partner and I were after 16 years together truly touched by all that we saw, nodded our heads to, laughed at and balled our eyes out over and, in the end, really uplifted by in this gem of a film. Michelle Pfeiffer's final monologue alone would have been worth the price of a movie ticket just to watch – All Actors should be made to watch her has she creates brilliant comedy by bursting into tears. It is a true lesson in comic artistry while still touching the heartstrings. I HATE THE KIRBYS TOO!!!!