After 15 years of marriage, Ben (Bruce Willis) is still the free-spirited person he’s always been while Katie (Michelle Pfeiffer) is left to handle life’s messy little problems. So when the kids go off to summer camp, they face the most important decision of their married life. Do they end their story or begin a new chapter? From start to finish, Rob Reiner gives us reason to laugh and cry in his entertaining outlook on marriage.
For thoughts on The Story of Us, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Story of Us was released on Blu-Ray in 2018 with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 that offers a passable experience from Universal Pictures. This transfer is clearly derived from an older master that exhibits some of the issues that Universal has moved away from with more recent masters. This transfer shows few signs of damage, but there is some minor digital tinkering that make the frame look a bit less natural. The source appears to be in good shape with only slight speckling of debris that does not prove to be a major deterrence. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are kept to a minimum.
Colors are well saturated with notable vibrancy in the warm summer setting. Black levels are passable in their depth, even if fleeting moments struggle with delineation and crush. The transfer looks clear and somewhat detailed for the majority of the runtime with only occasional moments exhibiting density fluctuations in the grain field. Image quality is solid with some favorable detail in the landscapes, production design, and clothing. The presentation is one that holds up well enough even if a new master could improve upon some things.
Audio Quality
Universal brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that holds up well for this one. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overshadowed by the music or sound effects. The environmental elements are not implemented in a showy manner, but they are delineated nicely within the speakers. There are a handful of scenes that get a bit more ambitious when it comes to sound design, but this is not a flashy movie. The sounds of certain moments bring some texture to the low end. The Eric Clapton and Marc Shaiman score sets the tone of the narrative while exhibiting no signs of weakness when it comes to fidelity. Universal has done a great job with the audio side of things. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Rob Reiner provides a pretty decent commentary track in which he reveals the motivations behind certain aspects of the film, getting Eric Clapton to provide the music, activities pulled from real life, working with the performers, and more.
- Spotlight On Location: A 21-minute archival featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the universal themes of the material, the tone of the story, the performances and more.
Final Thoughts
The Story of Us is a somewhat frustrating experience given the talent involved. Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Wilis are captivating movie stars, and Rob Reiner has delivered some classics within the romantic genre. Unfortunately, the script feels very dated in the way it pits men against women, often asking the audience to empathize with a man who is clearly ruining his wife’s life through perfectly avoidable means. While the movie had a chance to give this character an admirable arc, the film ultimately gets scared and veers toward the beliefs of the time period. There are moments of entertainment to be had due to the stars, but more progressive viewers will be more irritated than swept away. Universal Picture Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports a good enough A/V presentation and a couple of brief supplemental features.
The Story of Us can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.