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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:

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Reviews for Prime

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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[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

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

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

[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

Funny, heartfelt and flawed romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
10/28/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee

Streep finds lots of fresh ground in scenes in which her character has to wrestle with her professional obligations and mom obligations.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/27/05
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Prime sometimes feel as if the movie itself hasn't fully formed or matured. Ironic, yes, so it's nice that it has Streep and Thurman to pull you through.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
10/31/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Streep's character -- a humorous blend of open-minded therapist and neurotic Jewish mother -- makes the movie worth watching.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
10/27/05
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

Streep has played comedy before, and she’s on top of her game here, able to do more with a twitching eyebrow than some actresses can do with a page of dialogue.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
10/28/05
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

This falls short of the obvious model, Woody Allen's Annie Hall, but the performers are engagingly good at pushing the situation along.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
10/28/05
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

...mature and surprisingly thoughtful...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
03/18/06
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

All the characters are likeable and flawed (just like the genial film).

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/29/05
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Follows a familiar boy-meets-girl scenario, but Younger turns the routine into combustible fun.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/28/05
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The laughs in 'Prime' keep coming, as do hopes for someone to have a happy ending.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/01/05
Diana Saenger
Diana Saenger
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Really is nice, often charming, occasionally funny.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

Meryl Streep brilla en esta comedia romántica graciosa y disfrutable sobre el amor, los prejuicios, y otras costumbres muy humanas.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
09/22/06
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

I like that a movie with such a farcical premise can be so upscale and witty.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
10/28/05
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

The kind of film that will be widely referred to as 'cute,' but this is the rare case where "cute" does not translate to 'insulting.'

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
10/27/05
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Where the movie works is the first hour with Streep and Thurman wonderfully playing off each other.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
10/28/05
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

If anyone is in their 'prime' it is Meryl Streep who just keeps getting better

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
11/01/05
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com
 
 
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