The Story of Us (1999)

Ben and Katie Jordan are a married couple who go through hard times in fifteen years of marriage.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Alan Zweibel, Jessie Nelson

Stars:

Bruce Willis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Colleen Rennison

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Willis	...	Ben Jordan
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Katie Jordan
Colleen Rennison	...	Erin Jordan at Ten
Jake Sandvig	...	Josh Jordan at Twelve
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

Storyline

Two jilted lovers spend fifteen years of marriage together, only to find that they might no longer love each other. In this time they have two children and go through the various (dramatic and comical) events that take place in an average marriage.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | four word title | real estate agent | tourist | playing footsie | 

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Taglines:

Can a marriage survive 15 years of marriage?

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

15 October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nuestro amor

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£231,564 (UK) (21 April 2000)

Gross:

£549,553 (UK) (28 April 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a case of life imitating art, Bruce Willis was going through his own divorce with then-wife Demi Moore at the time of filming.

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Goofs

Ben's wine glass and the bottle during dinner with Stan.

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Quotes

Ben: We don't have a pea under our mattress. You know what we have?
[shouts]
Ben: A fucking watermelon!

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Connections

References I Love Lucy (1951)

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Soundtracks

"Bourée From Suite For Orchestra #1 in C Major BWV 1066"
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Camerata Romana
Conductor: Eugen Duvier
Courtesy of Point Classics
by Arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

Realistic, well-made, and a true testament to the fact that true love is forever. . .

When I first saw the trailer for "The Story of Us" I thought that this film was going to be different from anything I had ever seen. I had been disillusioned by all these movies coming out that are basically the same and it was sort of refreshing to see that finally someone was trying something different. So I set my plans to include this movie--until I heard the reviews. Everyone seemed to hate this film--even my movie-loving cousin admitted she walked out in the middle because she couldn't stand it. She told me that it's more of a "married person" film than a film for teens like us, so I canned my idea. BIG MISTAKE! I wish I could have seen this marvelous film on the big screen--there's something about actors that makes them seem so much better when their faces are as big as you are. Not that that's necessary. After finally seeing the film (my mom bought it and "forced" me to watch it) it just made me realize why almost every movie now is a cliche: some people cannot appreciate truly unique art, which is why I think this movie caught a bad rap.

I honestly cannot say I have any first-hand experience on the subject of divorce. My parents are still married and have never really had to consider that option. I am still at that stage where marriage is a distant pit-stop on the road to my future. So why did I love this movie? It told me the truth. All of my life I have seen love depicted as an all-powerful, all-conquering thing. And I have no doubt that it is--this movie told me that too. But it also showed me that maybe being in love isn't always a perfect, happy thing. You've got to take the good and the bad. Ben said it best when he told Katie "Nobody said it was going to be easy." Finally. Finally someone tells me it's NOT going to be easy. Now some people think that this film will make you not want to get married. I feel quite the opposite, because it shows you that if you truly love your partner you can get through the tough stuff.

I don't understand how people can say this movie had bad acting. Were they watching the same movie I saw? Both Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer were amazing in this movie. I swear that as I watched them I completely believed they were a married couple. And the passion that went into their arguments was not "overacting" as I have seen it dubbed. Have you seen married people fight? It's just like that. And the good thing is the movie didn't choose sides. It just showed the arguments and the feelings behind them and left no one looking the bad guy. And Michelle Pfeiffer's beautiful performance during that closing monologue was worth watching the entire movie, even if you didn't like it. And the cinematography was brilliant. Sometimes flashbacks in movies can be risky, especially if they happen often as in this film. But the movie just seemed to flow wonderfully, and Katie's flashback in the car on the way to pick up the kids from camp is one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen in a movie. It's amazing to see 15 years of marriage in 15 seconds and not feel shortchanged. That scene captured everything brilliantly. And Eric Clapton's music adds a lot to the movie. He is definitely talented, but it's also because the music seemed to capture the mood of the film. All in all, this was an amazing experience and is definitely one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's funny, entertaining, moving, and very well-made. I'd recommend it to anyone. Even if you don't like it, you will take something from it.