Prime (2005)

Skirting the clichés

A 23-year-old man falls for an "older" (37-year-old) woman whose therapist is the young man's mom. Great potential for cliché, right? "Love conquers all" and all that. But "Prime" treats its audience with a bit of intelligence, providing delightful servings of both drama and comedy. Uma Thurman plays Rafi, a fashion maven whose marriage just fell apart. She bumps into 23-year-old David (played with intelligence and bumbling charm by Bryan Greenberg) at a movie theater. The pair can't take their eyes off each other and are soon a going thing.

A couple of mild spoilers: Rafi's spills the beans on her new relationship to her therapist, played with ticky hilarity by Meryl Streep. All is well until it dawns on Streep that Rafi's new paramour is none other than her own son. This much you could glean from the DVD cover. The movie's comedy comes from watching Streep's discomfort as she hears more than she wants to about her kid. But leavening the laughs is the truly serious story of two people wondering whether they are right for each other and whether the age difference can be overcome in spite of the fire of their passion. Greenberg finds the razor's edge to play a David who mature and sensitive --for his age -- but still a kid at heart. Rafi loves her new lover, but wonders about integrating him into her circle of close and quirky friends. David's piggish friend Morris is the perfect comic foil, diverting the excess comic energy from David -- who must remain as serious as he is funny. The movie does not downplay the difficulties of its character's differences and the surprise ending is the perfect topper for this smart, engaging film. August 7, 2008

Honestly, this is prime entertainment...

There's just something so inviting about a film starring the great Meryl Streep and the deliciously enticing Uma Thurman. With that said, `Prime' delivers the goods, giving us a supremely funny while ultimately honest look at a relationship doomed from the very start. It does play to some overseen clichés from time to time, but for the most part `Prime' is true to itself and I must say that, to its credit, the ending was not predictable. That's all I'll say about that; I don't want to spoil anything.

`Prime' tells the story of middle-aged divorcee Rafi Gardet (I say middle-aged, but she's not quite there yet) who finds herself in a romantic relationship with a young painter named David Bloomberg; young as in 23 to her 37. The relationship, while odd at first, grows nicely on the couple who genuinely appear to be falling in love with one another. There's only one problem, and that problem is Rafi's therapist Lisa Metzger who just so happens to be David's mother.

What makes `Prime' work so well is the chemistry between its stars. We all know that Meryl and Uma are great actresses, but that doesn't always spell out success. This time it does. Both Uma and Meryl mesh so well together you never get a feeling of forced comedy between them. They are enjoying themselves and thus we are enjoying them. Even better though is the romantic chemistry between Thurman and Bryan Greenberg. It's not hard to imagine falling for the beautiful Uma Thurman, but just because she's attractive doesn't mean you can fake the kind of intimacy needed to make this film work. Thurman and Greenberg are so natural together, so believable tender and affectionate that you fall in love along with them.

`Prime' may seem familiar in scenes; I'm not denying that there are streams of unoriginality here; but `Prime' handles things in a very mature way. This is not the comedy I expected to see walking into it. I really expected your run of the mill gag-filled romantic comedy but `Prime' offers the audience a sense of relatability that all too often goes missing in rom-coms today.

In the end I highly recommend `Prime'. It's funny, witty and sweet but most of all, it's sincere. Thurman is breathtaking, Greenberg is charming and Streep is a scene stealing hoot. This is truly a prime example of a movie giving its audience what they truly deserve. April 23, 2008

Another New York chick flick

The older woman, younger man theme is just really harsh.
Add a Jewish doctor for a mother who is treating the
older woman after her divorce and you get a disaster that
really never convinces us of more than animal passion.
As a basis for a long term marriage with children,
a "happy ending" is probably a disaster?
It takes more for a successful marriage than just lust... March 27, 2008

Great Romantic Comedy

I really loved this movie, it is by far the best romantic movie I have seen in years. The actors all do such an amazing job, especialy Bryan Greenburg. I had never heard of this young actor, but now i am a huge fan. He made his character so endearing and real. It is a great, feel-good, hope for love one day kind of movie. January 7, 2008

Fails to deliver on the promise of the premise

Strong comic premise and megastar casting oversell what is ultimately the script for a B-grade romantic drama about mismatched couples and emotional (im)maturity. Pitched as a romantic comedy with a deep vein of social embarrassment just waiting to be mined, it simply fails to deliver on the promise. Redeemed somewhat by likeable leads, Streep's occasional magic, and a bittersweet ending that refuses to indulge the romantic fantasies of its intended audience. December 17, 2007

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