Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
105 mins
Enjoyable romcom with a witty script and a superb comic performance from Streep.
What’s it all about?
Set in New York, Prime stars Uma Thurman as Rafi, a 37 year old photography producer reeling from a recent divorce. When she falls for 23 year old painter David (Bryan Greenburg), she relates her fears over their age difference to her Jewish therapist, Lisa (Meryl Streep).
Lisa, in turn, is horrified when she discovers that Rafi’s new man is actually her own son, because she’s desperate for David to marry a nice Jewish girl.
The Good
Prime is written and directed by Ben Younger, who made The Boiler Room. His sharply-observed script keeps the story firmly grounded in reality, ensuring that the characters and their dilemmas remain identifiable. The dialogue is good too and there are several funny lines.
Uma Thurman is extremely good, in what must be one of her most normal
roles to date (in previous romcoms she has always been either an airhead or a gorgeous, unattainable figure). She gives Rafi a neurotic vulnerability that endears her to us immediately.
Similarly, the unknown Greenberg makes a decent male lead, even if he’s occasionally too mature to convince as a 23 year-old. However, the stand-out is Meryl Streep as Lisa, who steals every scene and manages to resist the obvious Jewish Mother cliches.
The Bad
The only real problem is that the film loses its way in the final act, with the result that the climax is a little disappointing. Similarly, a subplot with David’s pie-throwing best friend (Jon Abrahams) seems to belong to an entirely different movie.
Worth seeing?
In short, Prime is an enjoyable romcom, it’s sharply observed and has some interesting things to say about relationships. Worth seeing.