Written & Directed by: Ben Younger
Cast: Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Bryan Greenberg, & Jon Abrahams
Runtime: 105 min
Rating: PG-13
Trailer

The filmmakers of Prime would have you believe that inside this tepid romantic comedy is an insightful examination of two star-crossed lovers desperately trying to overcome their age gap, while struggling with criticism from their friends and family. Well, they’d be wrong. But don’t fret, I thought the same thing, and while the premise is – let’s be honest – lame and disposable, there was potential for a meaningful dialogue on the taboo subject of dating out of your age group. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Prime concerns the romance between Rafi (Uma Thurman), a recently divorced 30-something, and David (Bryan Greenberg), a struggling 23 year old Jewish artist who lives with his grandparents and helps throw cream pies at ex-girlfriends with his moronic friend, Morris (Jon Abrahams). David and Rafi meet while on different dates and – as is the case with romantic comedies – they are instantly smitten with each other. Problems arise when Rafi’s shrink, Lisa (Meryl Streep) discovers during their long sessions that Rafi is going out with her son. The fact that no reason is given as to why Rafi falls for David is one of countless strikes against the film. I mean, it’s obvious why David likes Rafi – who wouldn’t when she looks like Uma Thurman? But as the age difference becomes a greater cause for relationship problems, Rafi’s credibility takes a hit because we’re not given any strong motivation for her to stay. When it’s time for the big reveal, we’re left with another half of the film with nothing holding it together other than your average sitcom relationship strife: David loses his job and Rafi allows him to live in her apartment as a test to whether or not he has what she feels she needs at her age. A bit of advice for our lovely Rafi, maybe you shouldn’t let a 23 year-old boyfriend live with you? Well, it’s pretty obvious what happens. He doesn’t clean, cook, or get out of bed before noon, except to play video games and hang out with his friends. Ultimately, the film has way too much on its plate, with storylines that come and go at the drop of a hat, confusing the audience into thinking it’s a study of a quirky relationship one minute, before suddenly moving off to touch on family responsibilities, religious beliefs, commitment to marriage, and whether or not impregnating your girlfriend is a viable method of pronouncing your love. It’s hard to write a review of a film that doesn’t illicit some kind of urgent response after watching it, but that’s the case with Prime. It is several stories desperately vying for your attention, and because it is marketed as a romantic comedy, the film is too serious to be funny and not serious enough to be treated seriously. Get my drift? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Let me describe it another way: Prime plays more like a not-so-funny lost episode of Frasier.

Richard X
© Cinephile Magazine, 2006