Prime

Stars : Meryl Streep, Uma Thurman, Bryan Greenberg, Jon Abrahams

Directed By: Ben Younger
Released by: Universal Pictures/Focus (Roadshow Distributors)

Life's little ironies. Where would we be without them. In Prime, we see one of these such instances that occur in daily life, which is extended into a two hour chick flick. Simple in its story, simple in its execution, and simple in its resolution, Prime is an inoffensive trip to the cinema. There's nothing wrong going back to basics, and this movie proves that you don't have to do much in the way of tricks or budget to entertain. It's not ground breaking cinema, but it will put a smile on your face at least a couple of times, with its tale of an amusing, if unfortunate, twist of fate.

Raphi (Uma Thurman), is undergoing a mid life crisis. Thirty-eight, and very recently dumped by her long time partner, she is trying to come to terms with her life as a single woman once more. Her therapist Lisa (Meryl Streep), encourages her to broaden her horizons, to meet new people andtry new things. Raphi takes this on board and in a chance encounter meets David (Bryan Greenberg), a young, attractive artist, who is immediately attracted to Raphi. Encouraged by her therapist, Raphi decides to go on a date with David, but complications arise when the pair swap personal infromation, namely, their dates of birth. David is 23 years old, and although the pair clearly have chemistry, Raphi is reluctant to engage in a relationship with someone so much youbnger than her. However, once again her therapist presents the attitude of "Why not have a little fun for a while?". The relationship goes swimmingly, until one complicated detail emerges about David. His overprotective, devoutly religious Jewish mother, is also Raphi's therapist.

The news is broken very early in the story, and the promos spell it out fairly clearly, so the surprise isn't really ruined for anyone there. The film is more abut what happens after Lisa finds out, and how her relationship with Raphi is then compromised. It's interesting to watch, and when the story is played out by Streep and Therman, it's very entertaining. Thurman looks very good for her age, so its no real surprise that she could have a youg admirer, she was well cast in the role. Streep provides much of the films funnier moments, with her two-faced actions providing an insight into the dangers of a medical practicioner mixing business with home life, and perhaps telling their patients one thing, but their children another. The movie is mainly about the women, but newcomer Greenberg is likeable enough in a tough role to be noticed in.

Don't expect too much from Prime, as it is limited by the fact that it's a bit of a one trick pony. The idea that the film centres on is milked for all it's worth, but it is a solid comedy. The strength of the acting is the backbone for its success, and for those who would not normally see a film of this kind, it might be worth giving Prime a chance, you could be pleasantly surprised.


out of ten

Reviewed by Nick Bailey

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