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Prime (2005)

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Reviews Counted:115

Fresh:56

Rotten:59

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Though Streep is dependably terrific in her role, the rest of the movie is too sitcom-ish, and the romance itself is dull.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content including dialogue, and for language

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Romance, Theatrical Release

Theatrical Release:Oct 28, 2005 Wide

Box Office: $22,728,025

Synopsis: New York City forms the backdrop for writer/director Ben Younger's (BOILER ROOM) PRIME, a gentle comedy that weaves a tale of two lovers trying to keep the flame alive as an unusual obstacle is... New York City forms the backdrop for writer/director Ben Younger's (BOILER ROOM) PRIME, a gentle comedy that weaves a tale of two lovers trying to keep the flame alive as an unusual obstacle is hurled in their path. Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) is a newly divorced 37-year-old career woman who regularly spills her woes to her therapist, Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep). Rafi's love life takes a sudden upturn when she meets Bryan Greenberg (David Bloomberg), a penniless painter who lives on the Lower East Side with his grandparents and, at 23, is significantly younger than Rafi. Uptown girl Rafi isn't used to such differences in age and location, but the sex is great, and Bryan seems attentive enough, so she jubilantly tells Lisa in passionate detail about their blossoming relationship. The trouble is, the more Rafi tells her, the more Lisa realizes that the hot young boy-toy Rafi is busy seducing on a nightly basis is, in fact, her own son. The problems mount, with Rafi's status as a gentile not going over well with Bryan's Jewish family, and Lisa unable to decide whether to stop the therapy sessions or not. Younger delivers a heady mixture of laughs and salient points in a film that settles snugly into familiar early-21st-century territory for romantic-comedy fans. He peppers the action with product placement, warm pastel colors in spacious FRIENDS-style New York apartments, and bitter recriminations that quickly turn to passionate makeup sex on more than one occasion. The director clearly enjoys a love affair with the city, with swooping shots throughout of the late-night Manhattan skyline providing the perfect setting as his two leads act out their bittersweet union. [More]

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

Starring: Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, Bryan Greenberg, Jon Abrahams, Zak Orth

Director: Ben Younger

Director: Ben Younger
Screenwriter: Ben Younger
Producer: Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Release:

Aug 16, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Prime

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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Ventures into Woody Allen territory but never quite captures the wit or wistfulness.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
10/28/05
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/29/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/29/05
AV Club
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
01/17/06
Sydney Morning Herald
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/06/06
BBC

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/12/06
Empire Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

[Thurman's] summery radiance helps make this thin romantic comedy hard to dislike.

comment Comment
10/27/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

it quickly becomes a one-note joke with exactly the same punch line every five or ten minutes

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/29/05
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

A pleasing balance between romantic moments...and humor-focused scenes that feel fresh, even if often treading on familiar territory

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
10/27/05
Arthur Lazere
Arthur Lazere
culturevulture.net

Abrahams and Streep simply steal a movie dominated by two less interesting characters.

Full Review Source: Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) | comment Comment
11/08/05
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

Not quite a romance by numbers, Prime is nevertheless a movie we need like a hole in the head.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
10/27/05
Ben Kenigsberg
Ben Kenigsberg
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With its ambiguous title and tepid love story, the only thing going for Prime is Meryl Streep.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
10/27/05
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The only real saving grace in the movie -- to the extent that it has one -- is Streep, whose scenes with Thurman zing with a breezy, passive-aggressive delight.

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
10/28/05
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine

Greenberg comes off as dull, which is ironic considering he excelled on Unscripted as a struggling actor who lands a big role opposite Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
10/27/05
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

If Younger truly wanted to work out some fantasies on the big screen, Prime is the dullest, most unimaginative way he could've achieved that goal.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
10/27/05
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

[Younger] turns what could have been a silly romp into something bigger and more beautiful, something that embraces both laughter and tears.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
10/28/05
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

Ironically, this therapeutic romantic comedy ultimately suffers from too many unexplored issues.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/27/06
Camerin Courtney
Camerin Courtney
Christianity Today

Something about the way it ends feels like a cop-out, and the opportunities for humor aren't exploited quite as well as they could be.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/27/05
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Funny, heartfelt and flawed romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
10/28/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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