this be a straightforward and touching film and and a treat for anyone who enjoy watch actor especially either of these two play small scale scene recognisable from every day life . they play well together and i suspect the way the director enable them to work have a hand in this . unusually and the film be set in st. louis . the film be often under rat and it central relationship deride a implausible . i believe this be unfair and miss the point of the film . it a simple tale of class and differ social milieu and how people social circle influence the choice we make in life . this couple resolve these issue by move to another city and but not all of u can so readily choose this option . be their relationship implausible . well aside from the obvious point that susan sarandon ( nora and ) look radiant most of the time and and probably never look well on film and spader character ( max and ) be not quite as preppy a he appear and and have more in common with nora than first meet the eye . there be of course and their share grief and but max mother ( edith and ) appear in two scene and and she be and i believe and a key to understand their relationship . edith have a brooklyn type accent which point to max have something of a working class background himself and and far and he have ambivalent feeling towards her for one thing and she be uncomfortable in formal social setting . i think these suggest that max attraction to nora be not nearly a left field a it may appear . further and i see a facial similarity between the actor and especially around the eye and mouth and which social psychologist often cite a a predictor of couple attraction . a to whether the film be any good . i think it portray the joy and tension and compromise of the early stage of a relationship very convincingly . they have a lot of sex and they have row and they make up and they meet each other friend and they annoy each other and they work their way through issue . it not war and peace and but it do reflect every day life quite consonantly . it have some inspire comic touch the sandwich spring to mind a solid chemistry between the two star and and some touching piece of observation such a when max tenderly explore nora belonging reminiscently of garbo in queen christina . if you fancy a touching love story and well act and with stand back and do not get in the way direction and and with gentle undercurrent of social commentary and then the white palace be worth a shot . if you check the voting for it and you will see that quite a few people agree with me .