Prime Movie Review
A rare and subtle comedy, "Prime" did little at theaters but has the potential to be a hit among women and even some guys if word gets out. The Uma Thurman/Meryl Streep dramedy is a fun little film that features Streep's best performance in years.
"Prime" follows Rafi (Thurman), a divorcee who sees her therapist Lisa (Streep) on a regular basis. One day, Rafi announces to Lisa that she has met a young lover and is perhaps falling in love. She is 37 and her new boyfriend David is 23; she is a career-driven professional and he is a struggling young artist; but he is great and the sex is great. There's only one problem - unknown to either woman, David is Lisa's son. Lisa immediately gives Rafi kudos for dating a younger man, while she scolds David for dating outside his date range. The conflict is there, but things don't really get bad until Lisa discovers the truth... and hides it from Rafi.
The dynamic of "Prime" is a great one; the movie is primarily a romantic comedy-drama about Rafi and David, but strength lies in the scenes with Streep, who hasn't been this dominant in years. Thurman is terrific; she seems to get sexier with each passing year, and is perfect in the role. So is Bryan Greenberg, who has appeared in a variety of TV shows. But it is Streep, who makes you laugh with every neurotic expression and word that comes out of her mouth. When she finds out the truth about her son and Rafi, she turns it up even more.
The movie overall is well-handled by Ben Younger, who both wrote and directed the film. The creator of "Boiler Room," Younger has captured the dynamic between a 37-year old woman and a 23-year old guy perfectly, and it shows. Thurman and Greenberg have great chemistry together.
"Prime" does begin to feel a bit long at the end, as it is one of those films that could have ended three or four times as the two lovers have trouble, get back together, separate again and so on and so forth. Still, the movie has few pacing problems and is a rather easy-to-watch romantic comedy, even for a 23-year old guy (and now I'm talking about myself).
"Prime" is a great little film; Streep's performance alone makes it well worth it.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.