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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Prime
By Craig Younkin Published October 29, 2005
US Release: October 28, 2005
Directed by: Ben Younger
Starring: Uma Thurman , Bryan Greenberg , Meryl Streep
PG-13
Running Time: 105 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $22,785,000
Directed by: Ben Younger
Starring: Uma Thurman , Bryan Greenberg , Meryl Streep
PG-13
Running Time: 105 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $22,785,000
B
I had some reservations about even recommending {this}, but I am because it shows what good actors can do with middling material.
Son meets girl. Girl and son fall in love. Girl is in therapy. Girl?s therapist is son?s mother. That is the concept behind "Prime,? a new comedy from director Ben Younger, the talented writer-director of "Boiler Room.? "Prime" is a basic one-joke premise, but what?s surprising is that it works despite its own inadequacies. Younger proves that he has a lot more on his mind other than seeing how many times girl can make mom squirm. And, of course, it also helps to have two of the most talented actresses working in movies today. Meryl Streep does a particularly nice job of turning comedy out of even the most mundane situations.
Rafi (Uma Thurman) is a 37-year old photographer living in Manhattan. She has just gone through a rough divorce that has left her shaken. The whole ordeal sends her running to her psychiatrist, Dr. Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep). Metzger coaches Rafi through her concerns, which include the ticking of her biological clock. Rafi finds it odd that only after the divorce did she begin to think about having a child. Metzger says that her reasoning is based on her newfound freedom ? she can now begin her life again.
That life leads her right to Dave (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year old artist living with his grandparents. Dave?s dating life has been awkward to say the least. His family is devoutly Jewish but the girls he has gone out with have ranged from different faiths to different races, leaving his family to worry. One very funny scene involves a flashback to when Dave?s grandmother meets his black girlfriend. Rafi, who is not Jewish, sees another problem with her relationship with Dave ? he is fourteen years younger.
She discusses this with Dr. Metzger, who says Rafi deserves her happiness and that age should not be one of her concerns. Then comes the real twist, which the movie unfortunately had to give away in the trailer, that Dave is actually Metzger?s son. When she finds out what?s happening, she actually needs to go to her own therapist for guidance. And here is where the basic one-joke premise takes over. Metzger, denying all ethical principles, continues to see Rafi, letting her tell every detail of the relationship.
The movie strolls along the lines of a sitcom plot, letting characters do things that no real person would ever normally do for the sake of earning a few laughs. Where this movie works is that the person doing most of the abnormal things is Meryl Streep, who reacts with perfect comic timing and precision here. Her behavior and expressions to the things she hears and sees are priceless bits, especially a scene in which she has to defend her aversion to letting her son use q-tips when he was a kid. Streep keeps the laughs coming all by herself.
It?s almost as if "Prime" is two movies for the price of one. Streep handles the goofy comedy and Thurman and Greenberg on the other hand are involved in the mature romance. Younger crafts conflict for these two at every turn, whether it is religious differences, maturity differences, or the different frames of mind of an older woman ready to settle down and a younger man whose just getting started. These ideas have been brought up before and "Prime" hardly has anything groundbreaking to say about them, but Thurman and Greenberg are sincere and affecting in their portrayals. We want them to get together, but we also understand if they don?t.
"Prime" is hardly the best romantic comedy of the year. It?s silly and sitcom-ish, and there are only brief glimpses of hilarity. I had some reservations about even recommending it, but I am because it shows what good actors can do with middling material. Younger does bring some special touches to the film, but it?s Streep, Thurman, and Greenburg who make it shine.
Rafi (Uma Thurman) is a 37-year old photographer living in Manhattan. She has just gone through a rough divorce that has left her shaken. The whole ordeal sends her running to her psychiatrist, Dr. Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep). Metzger coaches Rafi through her concerns, which include the ticking of her biological clock. Rafi finds it odd that only after the divorce did she begin to think about having a child. Metzger says that her reasoning is based on her newfound freedom ? she can now begin her life again.
That life leads her right to Dave (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year old artist living with his grandparents. Dave?s dating life has been awkward to say the least. His family is devoutly Jewish but the girls he has gone out with have ranged from different faiths to different races, leaving his family to worry. One very funny scene involves a flashback to when Dave?s grandmother meets his black girlfriend. Rafi, who is not Jewish, sees another problem with her relationship with Dave ? he is fourteen years younger.
She discusses this with Dr. Metzger, who says Rafi deserves her happiness and that age should not be one of her concerns. Then comes the real twist, which the movie unfortunately had to give away in the trailer, that Dave is actually Metzger?s son. When she finds out what?s happening, she actually needs to go to her own therapist for guidance. And here is where the basic one-joke premise takes over. Metzger, denying all ethical principles, continues to see Rafi, letting her tell every detail of the relationship.
The movie strolls along the lines of a sitcom plot, letting characters do things that no real person would ever normally do for the sake of earning a few laughs. Where this movie works is that the person doing most of the abnormal things is Meryl Streep, who reacts with perfect comic timing and precision here. Her behavior and expressions to the things she hears and sees are priceless bits, especially a scene in which she has to defend her aversion to letting her son use q-tips when he was a kid. Streep keeps the laughs coming all by herself.
It?s almost as if "Prime" is two movies for the price of one. Streep handles the goofy comedy and Thurman and Greenberg on the other hand are involved in the mature romance. Younger crafts conflict for these two at every turn, whether it is religious differences, maturity differences, or the different frames of mind of an older woman ready to settle down and a younger man whose just getting started. These ideas have been brought up before and "Prime" hardly has anything groundbreaking to say about them, but Thurman and Greenberg are sincere and affecting in their portrayals. We want them to get together, but we also understand if they don?t.
"Prime" is hardly the best romantic comedy of the year. It?s silly and sitcom-ish, and there are only brief glimpses of hilarity. I had some reservations about even recommending it, but I am because it shows what good actors can do with middling material. Younger does bring some special touches to the film, but it?s Streep, Thurman, and Greenburg who make it shine.
Craig's Grade: B
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
