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181 comments in total

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164 out of 241 people found the following comment useful :-
Way Better Than It Has Any Right to Be, 15 October 2005

Author: botner from Chicago

A great, great movie, especially when one considers the stinkers that usually litter the romantic comedy landscape.

This movie was smart, funny and most importantly, REAL. The cheese is held to a minimum and characters do and say things that real people say. No monologues that sound like they were cribbed from 'Chicken Soup for the Soul', just real people reacting to each other and their circumstances.

Meryl Streep is great in this (and this is coming from a straight, twenty-something male) and Uma Thurman and Brian Greenberg have a real chemistry together. There are some real classic lines in this and it's a million times funnier and smarter than say, 'Monster in Law' or 'Just Like Heaven'.

As one who usually cringes my way through 9 out of 10 'chick flicks' this is the rare one out the ten that passes muster, and does so in a big way. I fear that this movie will be overshadowed by a bunch of other new releases when it comes out, but this one really deserves an audience.

Very underrated. One of the better films I've seen all year.

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66 out of 95 people found the following comment useful :-
A Nutshell Review: Prime, 26 November 2005

Author: DICK STEEL from Singapore

Perhaps this was touted as a romantic comedy with a psycho-analytical character thrown in, kind of like Analyse This and Analyse That. Put the characters in a crazy premise, and see how their relationship work out. Meryl Streep stars as Lisa, a psychologist to Uma Thurman's Rafi, who, unknowingly to both, is dating her son David.

Rafi's just been freshly divorced, and has only Lisa to talk to about her problems, and new life found when she met a new man in her life. She lies about David's age (increased it from 23 to 27), and wonders if a younger man would be suitable for her. You know it's situational comedy time when Lisa finds out about the truth, and discovers that she's caught between maternally protecting her son from a non-Jewish girl and frowning upon their relationship, and the conflict of interest between herself as a professional, and her client.

While the trailers seemed to suggest that most of the film will dwell on this aspect, and provide many laughable moments, this film is actually more serious that it looks in examining two major issues - that of religion, and the age gap between lovers.

David is an aspiring artist who's bumming around in life, until he met Rafi and moves in with her. While initially a novelty - Rafi enjoys and exhilarates about the sex and his manhood to Lisa (uh oh), though through cohabitation she starts to discover that David is still immature in his manners, and this gets personified in a hilarious scene where he prefers to spend more time on his Nintendo. Being 37, she feels her biological clock ticking, and wonders if she would be selfish to impose on David and have him grow up quickly. Given the age gap, it's also about sacrifices that one would make to bridge the difference, especially in expectations from the relationship (though in the beginning, it's all about the sex).

Like most romances, boy meets girl, boy woos girl, boy falls out of favour with girl. David has issues with telling his estranged mother about his relationship with Rafi, first because of their 14 year age gap, but more importantly, he knows that religion will play a major part in having her accepted as part of the family. Which makes you wonder about real life romances as well, the role of religion in a relationship, if it has the power to make, or break.

Uma Thurman is already 35, but still looks ravishing on screen, despite a few visible wrinkles. Newcomer (well, TV veteran) Bryan Greenberg holds his own as the young adult David Bloomberg, especially against veteran Meryl Streep.

Prime is a bittersweet tale, and I find it set in realism. Gone are the overplayed lovey-dovey moments, and I welcome the fact that with every relationship there are issues, and the major ones are the obstacles which determine if the relationship can survive, or not.

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119 out of 204 people found the following comment useful :-
Hilarious, but also realistic, romantic comedy, 22 September 2005

Author: kyle wagner from United States

This movie was the opener for the San Diego Film Festival. It was amazing. I thought it was just going to be another "let's find out about ourselves" romantic drama, but it was engrossing from the start. It's funny throughout, without resorting to slapstick (not that there's anything wrong with that, just that slapstick tends to be overused). The characters are realistic, each reacting to the other in believable ways, but it ends up with mostly hilarious outcomes.

No spoilers here, but the rough idea is that an older, just-divorced woman (Uma Thurman) gets romantically involved with a much younger man (Bryan Greenberg). At the same time, she's working out her guilt over dating this younger guy with her therapist (Meryl Streep). But everyone's got a lot more depth than you'd expect and there's a lot more going on than just this surface activity. I think what I liked most about this premise is that it's complex but not contrived. And I liked how the story developed - it just flowed naturally from what each character seemed to want or need.

This is a well-put-together movie. The script (Ben Younger, also the director) is really tight - characters say things that you can believe, never more than they need to, and you always feel you got a bit more truth out of every scene. And just about every single line is perfect. I wouldn't say that about many movies. Younger said in comments afterwards that he worked on the script for 8 years. I believe it. It's really that good.

The actors were incredible. All the leads (Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Bryan Greenberg) were wonderful, as were the supporting roles. When I think of Meryl Streep, I think of heavy dramas, but here I saw just how funny she could be. I loved the exchanges between Streep and Thurman's characters, and between Thurman and Greenberg. You just feel like you're a part of what's going on and can't stop watching. Everyone seemed to be performing at their peak in this movie.

I can't recommend this one highly enough. I think most adults, particularly those 25+, will enjoy it. It's not really a chick-flick. It's sort of like Chasing Amy, L.A. Story or When Harry Met Sally in its honesty. It's funnier than just about any movie I can think of, regardless of genre (that includes movies like As Good as it Gets, The Ref, Blazing Saddles, O Brother Where Art Thou, Grosse Pointe Blank, Sixteen Candles), and provides powerful insights into relationships.

I hope Younger does more good work like this in the future, it's nice to see a movie that's worth the ticket price!

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39 out of 56 people found the following comment useful :-
Meryl, 20 November 2005

Author: Donald Agustamarian from London, England

Meryl Streep is the closest actress we've got to the great old stars of yesteryear. Bette Davis comes to mind. Meryl was trim and sexy a couple of years a ago in "Adaptation" now in "Prime" she's a matronly Jewish mom filled with sense and sensibility. She is also very funny and the main reason to see this Jewish American farce. When she's on, we're on. I believed and enjoyed her predicament. I only wish the script, dealing with the relationship of Uma Thurman and Bryan Greenberg had been a bit smarter and more engaging. I bought that the sex was great and that Uma was discovering herself through this younger lover but their intimacy is clumsy and their dialogue very slight. It is as if the two Kauffman's of "Adaptation" were at work here and that the scenes involving Meryl were written by one and the scenes with the lovers by the other. The former ones however makes the evening a very pleasant one.

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54 out of 87 people found the following comment useful :-
Really a "Chick Flick"?, 12 November 2005
Author: melmarq from Portland, ME

I was initially reluctant to watch this film but my girlfriend wanted to check it out. After seeing it I must admit that the film did surpass my expectations - primarily since I felt that it was not really a "chick-flick" per se. The film tends to center around the guy 100% of the time. Call it a "guy-flick" from a woman's perspective. While I'm not at all a Meryl Streep fan, I felt that she carried the movie for the time that she was on the screen. Uma Thurman can't help but be the stunningly beautiful Uma Thurman that she always is. Without spoiling anything, I think that the ending was perfectly real compared to most romantic comedies that have been released in the past. This film was one of the more pleasant surprises for me this year. At the very least it will make for a great DVD rental if you're a guy who is as reluctant to see it as I was originally.

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28 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Not the typical Hollywood rom-com., 21 May 2006

Author: Robert Farcasanu from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Prime stars Deer Hunter actress Meryl Streep and Pulp Fiction actress Uma Thurman. It was written and directed by Boiler Room writer/director Ben Younger. I thought this movie was really good. The acting by Streep and Thurman was incredible. And the story was genius with an unexpected ending.

I'm sure you know the typical rom-com. Two people meet, have a great time together, something gets in the way, they break up, they get back together, and they get married and have lots of sex and babies and everything is just wonderful. Well this is different. Halfway through you are just positively convinced that this is how Prime is going to end. But it doesn't. That's all I'm going to say; see for yourself.

Meryl Streep was hilarious as the Jewish mother/shrink. I loved her. Besides the un-clichéd ending, she is the highlight of the movie.

Overall I thought this was a really good movie. It was one of the few movies where I didn't look at the clock to figure how much time there is left of the movie. It was entertaining and cliché-free. I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.

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61 out of 106 people found the following comment useful :-
Age difference, 12 November 2005

Author: jotix100 from New York

In spite of most negative comments submitted to IMDb, Ben Younger's "Prime" is an interesting look at a mismatched pair in this story. It also raises ethical questions about when does a therapist has to decide what is best for a patient. Ben Younger whose film debut was "The Boiler Room", has a keen eye for the situation he is presenting in this film that seems to be perceived as a "chick flick", but that otherwise is a funny take on how love can make a person blind to reality.

Rafi, the lovely woman at the center of the action, has gone through a painful divorce. Is she ready for another deception? No, she is much stronger now, and with the help of Lisa, her therapist, she will know better how to deal with anyone that might try to play with her feelings.

Enter David, the young hunk of a guy, who likes what he sees when he meets Rafi, casually, one night while waiting to go in to see a film at Cinema Village. Indeed, Rafi is all what any young man could wish for. Not only is she gorgeous, but as it turns out, she is a bit older. But does that matter at all? No way!

Lisa is Rafi's therapist. In fact, she is a bit surprised to find that Rafi has fallen for a younger man. She advises her to take a chance and see where it goes, but be careful not to be hurt again. The only thing is she has no clue it's her own son who is involved in the romance.

The question of ethics come into play as Liza agonizes she is not doing the right thing with her patient, something that has to be worked with her own therapist. Not only that, but Lisa, as well as her Jewish family expects David to stay within his own when he picks the girl he will marry.

"Prime" is light and works well because of the work of the three principals. Uma Thurman is the ideal actress for playing Rafi. Not only is she a gorgeous woman, but she is an actress who never gives a false note in the character she is portraying. Meryl Streep is also at her best in playing the therapist. Bryan Greenberg plays David with ease and makes him comes alive.

In spite to have gone to see the film without any expectation, we found the film light and entertaining thanks to Ben Younger's direction.

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33 out of 51 people found the following comment useful :-
NOT a romantic comedy, and a good film, 18 December 2005

Author: siderite from Romania

This is a situational movie. People get into and out of interesting situations and you might be amused by it, feel romantic or feel bad, but this does not define the romantic comedy genre as I see it. You don't watch this movie to feel good about the romantic endeavors that litter your brain but are almost never real, nor do you watch it to laugh at what is going on.

I especially liked the fact that Uma Thruman didn't play the role of the stupid blonde that she got in some of her latest movies and also that the movie tried to capture reality more than fantastic situations that no one can relate to and that always end in happy ending.

Mix Jewishness, visits to the psychologist, divorcées in the fashion business having gay friends and dating younger guys and you get ... New York. :) Well, this is a good movie. A lot of the clichés one would expect in a New Yorkish movie are broken or not existent and the ones that are left are well blended into the plot.

There isn't much to say about the plot that wouldn't spoil it, so I will not say anything. Uma Thurman plays well, Merryl Streep is always a good actress, but in this movie manages not the be annoying as well, which I think is a step up for her. My wife asked me to keep it, so I guess if I enjoyed it and also did she, then it's a winner all around.

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17 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Feels like real life on screen, 25 November 2006

Author: tragic_slider from United States

I happened to catch the second half on HBO one night. I saw the entire movie a few nights later. I could easily watch it through again -- I was really drawn into the movie. I had to look it up on IMDb just because I was thinking about it so much.

There's a lot of negative reviews here, much more than the movie deserves. Movies are like people -- some you despise, many leave you indifferent, and some just really *click*. My roommate came back from "Saw III" hyper and proclaiming it the "BEST movie EVER!!!" -- I can guarantee you he wouldn't care for this. "Prime" also doesn't have any of the typical emotional manipulations found in your average rom-com. It makes do with much subtler if still dramatic material. For example: the meeting between Rafi and David is low-key, slightly awkward, nothing like, say, the Ferris wheel scene in "The Notebook". Ryan Gosling threatening suicide to get a date is certainly entertaining, but it also leaves me slightly detached, too aware this is a story for my viewing pleasure.

"Prime" is the anti-"Grease". There's nothing STYLIZED about it; no fairy-tale ending. If you can do with such accoutrements you'll be sucked in, especially if you can relate to the very upper-middle-class New York viewpoint that permeates it. Another reviewer was quite insightful in comparing it to "Annie Hall".

As for the relentless disparagement of Bryan Greenberg in the male lead: you've got to be kidding me!!!! He doesn't play the role the way, say, a young Al Pacino would play it. His persona is understated, relaxed almost to the point of passivity, slightly unsure, sarcastic and naive and vulnerable all at once. Completely believable as a 23-year-old who would appeal to and be attracted to a 37-yr-old divorcée. A more typical male lead his age wouldn't be dating Uma Thurman, he'd be charming Natalie Portman or Jessica Alba. Take the scene where he's trying to connect with the stoic doorman -- I totally cracked up and at the same time couldn't help but admire how true-to-life it felt. Everything about that scene bespoke an upper-middle-class 20-something living with his grandparents and lacking direction.

Not to mention that the intimacy between Rafi and David felt so natural that I felt convinced that Uma and Bryan had something off-screen during filming. The way they looked at each other, shared each other's space... the lust didn't seem acted, I'll put it that way.

To Ben Younger: despite all the people out there who don't get it, there are some of us who do. You really did an amazing job, and I doubt I'll ever forget "Bubbe" knocking herself with that frying pan... Lol.

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18 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-
This could have been a better film, 4 December 2005

Author: linoevgueni from Vancouver, Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The problem with Prime is that it starts as the story of one of its characters, ends up being the story of another character, but should have been the story of a third one. The premise is simple: Uma Thurman plays Rafi, a 37 year-old divorcée who starts dating a 23 year-old named Dave (Bryan Greenberg). When she talks to her therapist (Meryl Streep) about her new relationship she lies about the guy's age. A little bit later on the film, when Dave visits his family, we learn that he is the son of the Meryl Streep character.

The movie begins as the story of Rafi but half way through the film it is clear that Dave is the main character. However, the heart of this comedy is in the performance by Meryl Streep. Her character is in the worst situation since she's is the one who realizes that Rafi is dating her son. Advised by a colleague, she keeps treating Rafi without telling her anything. Because of this, she gets to listen to many details about his son that she never wanted to learn.

I think there are two movies here: The one about the relationship between a middle-aged woman and a young guy, and the one about a therapist listening to sexual details of her son. I'm not sure I liked the way these stories were mixed.

The movie is too long and there is a very annoying character: Dave's best friend. He gets all the so-called funny lines. What happens to him at the end is very predictable once we have seen his very first scene.

On the positive side, the three main performances are solid and believable. Some of the situations belong to a smarter movie, perhaps one made by Woody Allen. The influence of this filmmaker is so strong on the work of Prime's writer/director Ben Young that his movie closes in pretty much the same way that Annie Hall did.

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