Movie love is often a jazzed-up, over romanticized reflection of reality - exaggerating the highs and skimming the tops of all the lows. That is why we like it.

Most fill space with flat characters and silly situations until someone says, "happily ever after," or something close to that. It is rare that one tries to plumb the emotional depths of its characters.

The Story of Us attempts just that - and fails, but not by much.

Ben (Bruce Willis) and Katie (Michelle Pfeiffer) are an unhappily married couple with two children. They put on happy faces for the children's sake, but otherwise the marriage is through. They send the kids packing for camp and are left to a summer of soul searching away from each other.

Many small factors feed into the crumbling of their marriage but it basically boils down to a classic personality conflict. Katie is too structured and scheduled while Ben is too impulsive and immature. They endure onslaughts of memories (both good and bad) and advice from friends (both good and bad) in their mutual search for what to do with their failing union. The answer is not a surprise (see paragraph two), but the journey to it is, thanks to the performances of Willis and Pfeiffer.

Long underrated as an actor, Willis is impressive as Ben. His angry shouting is often over the top, especially during a dinner scene with two friends, Stan and Rachel (director Rob Reiner and Rita Wilson). However, his quiet moments of crying or introspection are emotional and believable. Pfeiffer does a better job at showing her anger and frustration in addition to acting heartbroken.

They are also immensely aided by the fact that they have chemistry. They play well off each other and do a good job of straddling a believable line between love and hate for each other. They take the little things in their relationship, such as the touching feet under the covers or the cocking of an eyebrow and show how much those things can really mean.

The loss of eye contact, the loss of excitement, the loss of that special touch are all magnified to help sympathize with their mutual heartbreak and it is effective.

The script helps them too - but at the expense of all the other characters in the film. It's a hodge-podge of good and bad dialogue, with the supporting characters getting much of the bad. Reiner, Wilson, Paul Reiser (Marty) and Julie Hagerty (Liza) are wasted in generic "friend" roles that allow them to make comments about sex or relationships. They are there for cheap laughs but otherwise have no importance. Example: Stan gives the ultimate stupid metaphor, comparing someone's ass to love.

The Story of Us was directed by Reiner, who rarely makes an unenjoyable movie and there is no exception here. The characters foibles and Reiner's directing style easily mimic his earlier (and better) ode to romance, When Harry Met Sally to the point that this movie could easily be called When Harry Divorced Sally.