>> REVIEW
PRIME
STARRING Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman and Bryan Greenberg
DIRECTED BY Ben Younger
Opens Friday, October 28
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Oooh, that bod. The delicious way she works that body. My oh my, the incredible things she does with that body. Mmm-hmm. It makes the movie worth watching.
Oh, did you think I was talking about Uma Thurman? While she does have certain positive attributes, I was, believe it or not, referring to Meryl Streep, who plays Thurman’s therapist in Prime. And before you go thinking I’m the one who needs therapy, hear me out – Streep’s gift for physical comedy is not only underrated, it’s bloody brilliant. So in an odd kind of way, this movie is a prime choice due to Streep and the wonderful way she works that bod.
No sale? Didn’t think so. Good thing the story’s clever enough to sell itself.
A picture that’s very New York (sometimes writer-director Ben Younger treats his film like a scenic tour of the Big Apple) and very Jewish (what, no bit part for Judd Hirsch?), Prime is the story of Rafi (Thurman), a gorgeous 37-year-old divorcée with intimacy problems who, at the urging of her therapist, Lisa Metzger (Streep), engages in some hot sex with David (Bryan Greenberg), a 23-year-old painter living with his grandparents.
The twist is, David is Lisa’s son. And if it wasn’t bad enough that she has to sit through racy recollections of the mismatched pair’s multiple boinking sessions, she has to deal with the pain of knowing David might never hook up with a nice Jewish girl.
Younger’s low-key presentation works especially well here. While his last big project, Boiler Room, thrived on testosterone and flash, Prime is quiet and unassuming. The proceedings would be almost drab if not for such lively performances. The writing is sharp, too, primarily any dialogue involving Streep’s balancing psychiatric support with maternal horror.
Thurman and Greenberg experience the expected speed bumps with the difference in age and religion. But the much more interesting facet of this tale – undisputed in its hilarity – is mama’s concern for the situation. And Streep’s Jewish mother makes Prime a kosher film, indeed. |
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