Prime Review

"Prime" reviews

Movie

Prime

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-08-02 22:42:07

Rating

2.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

With a charismatic leading lady and her equally captivating toy boy at the helm, Prime is a somewhat enjoyable look at a budding, albeit complicated, romance. But it tends to take itself a tad too seriously.

Story

The title is perplexing. Is it about being in the prime of your life? Or is it about getting ready to start anew? Maybe it"s about math. No, wait, that"s Proof. Actually, Prime tackles both themes of starting anew and being at your peak. For Manhattanite Rafi (Uma Thurman), a 37-year-old photographer reeling from a recent divorce, that means finding a new love with David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old Jewish artist. Rafi's therapist (Meryl Streep) is thrilled for her patient--until, of course, she finds out it"s her own son Rafi has fallen for. You see, not only is Rafi 14 years older than David and wants different things from life, she also is not Jewish--a big no-no in David"s family. It doesn"t seem likely this charmed couple can overcome such vast obstacles.

Acting

Outside director Quentin Tarantino"s realm, Thurman"s performances have been spotty at best. But in Prime, she proves her mettle--and finally gets to play a real girl, instead of an butt-kickin" assassin out to Kill Bill. The actress has never looked more luminous, and she gives an emotionally layered performance as the divorcée just looking for a meaningful relationship. Greenberg (TV"s One Tree Hill) also holds his own as the terribly sweet and eager David, who can"t help himself. Together, the two keep it real and sexy. Streep, unfortunately, weighs things down. Comedies have never been the Oscar winner"s forte, and her Jewish mother is way too over the top. She never really seems to connect with anyone.

Direction

It"s intriguing that the guy who wrote and directed the testosterone-driven Boiler Room, a poor man"s Wall Street, can turn around and make a fairly convincing movie about a May-December romance. Apparently, writer/director Ben Younger had the idea for Prime mulling around in his brain for eight years, giving him plenty of time to flesh out real characters. He also surprisingly manages to escape the romantic pitfalls--no pat ending here. The problem is Younger likes to hear himself talk. The film tends to run on--in serious intonations, no less--especially with the scenario involving the disapproving Jewish mother. There is enough conflict between Rafi and David with the age difference alone, don"t you think? Just ask Demi and Ashton.

Bottom Line

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

Prime

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-05-11 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

Does age matter when it comes to love? Let's face it, when we saw Hugh Grant snogging Martine McCutcheon in "Love, Actually" the 16 year age gap wasn't even a consideration, was it? Well this new romcom shows that things are never that simple, especially when the woman is the older partner. Uma Thurman stars as Rafi, a 37-year-old recent divorcee who starts dating David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old artist. Despite her concerns that she owns t-shirts older than her new beau, the relationship blooms and Rafi is enjoying herself. Even her therapist Lisa (Meryl Streep) is encouraging Rafi to embrace the situation. The relationship isn't without its problems through; David's traditional mother is worried that her son's girlfriend isn't Jewish and consequently doesn't approve. And things only get more complicated when Rafi's therapist Lisa (Streep) works out that the David in question is her son. Does she keep treating Rafi and hope the affair fizzles out, or come clean and risk losing a patient? Given that "Prime" has all the potential ingredients of farcical comedy, it's to the credit of writer / director Ben Younger that he decided to tale a rather more subtle approach to the subject. He treats his characters with affection and you find yourself rooting for Rafi and David to overcome the obstacles they face. Thurman and Greenberg work well together, creating a palpable chemistry and misty eyed warmth. But it's Streep who steals the show as the stereotypical domineering Jewish mother; her scenes in which Rafi is describing her sex life with David are worth the price of admission alone! A touch more intelligent than the run-of-the-mill romcom, "Prime" may not have you falling about laughing but it will give you a warm feeling you'll be hard pushed to shrug off.

Copyright © MyMovies 2006.

Movie

PRIME

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-05-12 15:32:26

Provider

MRIB

Review

Woody Allen, it would seem, isn't the only one who is adept at making comedies that are set in New York and awash with characters who work in the arts. Bryan Younger's second film is all his own work but reads like the kind of romantic comedy that the geek-meister spent many years finessing, featuring as it does a Jewish therapist and innumerable images of Manhattan buildings.

Rafi (the stunning Uma Thurman) is a 37-year-old divorcee who, at the behest of her analyst Dr Metzger (Meryl Streep), embarks on a voyage of self-discovery, having been married to a loser for nine years. After a chance meeting in a theatre, she falls for aspiring artist David Bloomberg (Bryan Greenberg) who, at 23, is 14 years her junior. Rafi finds the age gap somewhat troubling, despite the fact that both of them are in their sexual prime, but Metzger begs her to ignore such petty details, oblivious to the fact that her son is Rafi's beau.

Whereupon Prime changes tack and, amusingly, explores the nature of doctor-patient ethics, most memorably when Rafi describes to Dr Metzger the intimate details of her and Dave's lovemaking. In lesser hands this could make for a clichéd comedy, but Streep once again proves her versatility while Thurman and Greenberg, an exceptional talent, display the kind of big screen chemistry that is integral to a film of this nature.

Prime may not be Younger's Bullets Over Broadway but his next film, on this evidence, could well be in that league.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.

Movie

Prime

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-05-11 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

Does age matter when it comes to love? Let's face it, when we saw Hugh Grant snogging Martine McCutcheon in "Love, Actually" the 16 year age gap wasn't even a consideration, was it? Well this new romcom shows that things are never that simple, especially when the woman is the older partner. Uma Thurman stars as Rafi, a 37-year-old recent divorcee who starts dating David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old artist. Despite her concerns that she owns t-shirts older than her new beau, the relationship blooms and Rafi is enjoying herself. Even her therapist Lisa (Meryl Streep) is encouraging Rafi to embrace the situation. The relationship isn't without its problems through; David's traditional mother is worried that her son's girlfriend isn't Jewish and consequently doesn't approve. And things only get more complicated when Rafi's therapist Lisa (Streep) works out that the David in question is her son. Does she keep treating Rafi and hope the affair fizzles out, or come clean and risk losing a patient? Given that "Prime" has all the potential ingredients of farcical comedy, it's to the credit of writer / director Ben Younger that he decided to tale a rather more subtle approach to the subject. He treats his characters with affection and you find yourself rooting for Rafi and David to overcome the obstacles they face. Thurman and Greenberg work well together, creating a palpable chemistry and misty eyed warmth. But it's Streep who steals the show as the stereotypical domineering Jewish mother; her scenes in which Rafi is describing her sex life with David are worth the price of admission alone! A touch more intelligent than the run-of-the-mill romcom, "Prime" may not have you falling about laughing but it will give you a warm feeling you'll be hard pushed to shrug off.

Copyright © MyMovies 2006.