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List Price: $12.98 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 34647
Released: March 7, 2006 |
| Our Price: $2.87 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
When rafi a 37-year-old divorcee meets david a 23-year-old painter its love at first sight. But that love gets complicated - fast - when rafi discovers that david is also the son of her therapist! rafis about to discover that professional help is going to get very personal. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 05/22/2007 Starring: Uma Thurman Bryan Greenberg Run time: 106 minutes Rating: Pg13
Description of Prime (Full Screen):
Bolstered by an appealing cast and the comedic genius of Meryl Streep, Prime is an above-average "rom-com" that never stoops to compromise. The plot conceived by writer/director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) is a bit far-fetched, but once he's established that 37-year-old Gentile divorcee Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) is unknowingly dating the 23-year-old son (Bryan Greenberg) of her Jewish psychotherapist (played by Streep), the unlikely premise gets an intelligent workout, touching upon all of the issues that would realistically emerge as their dilemma is taken to its logical (or illogical) extremes. As a pair of genuinely devoted lovers in their sexual prime (hence the title), Thurman and Greenberg make this movie a constant joy to watch (and let's face it, Uma's utterly irresistible as an "older woman" who's looking for Mr. Right). But it's Streep's mastery of multi-layered expression and subtle comedic timing that makes Prime so engaging. Younger is also refreshingly resistant to easy solutions and conventional feel-good sentiment; he constantly steers Prime toward a sensible examination of a hazardous romance, never insulting the intelligence of his characters or his audience. The result is a mature, honest relationship comedy that never feels forced, but still offers plenty of good, solid laughs. --Jeff Shannon
Prime (Full Screen) Reviews:
A Clever Romantic Comedy 
2008-10-25 - Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake
PRIME is an irresistible, often hilarious romantic comedy. The characters and the issues involved are real, and the film has an honest ending; the right ending. I loved this movie.
Uma Thurman stars as a 37-year-old divorcee who falls for a 23-year old struggling, albeit talented, painter (Bryan Greenberg). Her shrink (Meryl Streep) initially approves of the relationship, because she thinks it will help her patient get out of her post-divorce funk.
However, after a couple of weeks, Streep realizes that the new man in Uma's life is, in fact, her own son.
Now, what does she do? Drop Uma as a patient...or continue to treat her?
One thing that she does NOT want is for Bryan to be involved with Uma. As Meryl sees it, the age difference is not the only problem with the relationship. She's also concerned that Uma is not Jewish.
There are some very funny scenes in this picture, such as the therapy sessions in which Uma describes to Meryl, in graphic detail, her sex life with her new boy friend. Mother Meryl's subdued reactions are priceless.
Ben Younger wrote and directed this delightful film, which co-stars Jon Abrahams as Bryan's buddy who breaks-up with his girl friends in a very unique manner.
© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008)
Skirting the clichés 
2008-08-07 - A 23-year-old man falls for an "older" (37-year-old) woman whose therapist is the young man's mom. Great potential for cliché, right? "Love conquers all" and all that. But "Prime" treats its audience with a bit of intelligence, providing delightful servings of both drama and comedy. Uma Thurman plays Rafi, a fashion maven whose marriage just fell apart. She bumps into 23-year-old David (played with intelligence and bumbling charm by Bryan Greenberg) at a movie theater. The pair can't take their eyes off each other and are soon a going thing.
A couple of mild spoilers: Rafi's spills the beans on her new relationship to her therapist, played with ticky hilarity by Meryl Streep. All is well until it dawns on Streep that Rafi's new paramour is none other than her own son. This much you could glean from the DVD cover. The movie's comedy comes from watching Streep's discomfort as she hears more than she wants to about her kid. But leavening the laughs is the truly serious story of two people wondering whether they are right for each other and whether the age difference can be overcome in spite of the fire of their passion. Greenberg finds the razor's edge to play a David who mature and sensitive --for his age -- but still a kid at heart. Rafi loves her new lover, but wonders about integrating him into her circle of close and quirky friends. David's piggish friend Morris is the perfect comic foil, diverting the excess comic energy from David -- who must remain as serious as he is funny. The movie does not downplay the difficulties of its character's differences and the surprise ending is the perfect topper for this smart, engaging film.
Honestly, this is prime entertainment...
2008-04-23 - There's just something so inviting about a film starring the great Meryl Streep and the deliciously enticing Uma Thurman. With that said, `Prime' delivers the goods, giving us a supremely funny while ultimately honest look at a relationship doomed from the very start. It does play to some overseen clichés from time to time, but for the most part `Prime' is true to itself and I must say that, to its credit, the ending was not predictable. That's all I'll say about that; I don't want to spoil anything.
`Prime' tells the story of middle-aged divorcee Rafi Gardet (I say middle-aged, but she's not quite there yet) who finds herself in a romantic relationship with a young painter named David Bloomberg; young as in 23 to her 37. The relationship, while odd at first, grows nicely on the couple who genuinely appear to be falling in love with one another. There's only one problem, and that problem is Rafi's therapist Lisa Metzger who just so happens to be David's mother.
What makes `Prime' work so well is the chemistry between its stars. We all know that Meryl and Uma are great actresses, but that doesn't always spell out success. This time it does. Both Uma and Meryl mesh so well together you never get a feeling of forced comedy between them. They are enjoying themselves and thus we are enjoying them. Even better though is the romantic chemistry between Thurman and Bryan Greenberg. It's not hard to imagine falling for the beautiful Uma Thurman, but just because she's attractive doesn't mean you can fake the kind of intimacy needed to make this film work. Thurman and Greenberg are so natural together, so believable tender and affectionate that you fall in love along with them.
`Prime' may seem familiar in scenes; I'm not denying that there are streams of unoriginality here; but `Prime' handles things in a very mature way. This is not the comedy I expected to see walking into it. I really expected your run of the mill gag-filled romantic comedy but `Prime' offers the audience a sense of relatability that all too often goes missing in rom-coms today.
In the end I highly recommend `Prime'. It's funny, witty and sweet but most of all, it's sincere. Thurman is breathtaking, Greenberg is charming and Streep is a scene stealing hoot. This is truly a prime example of a movie giving its audience what they truly deserve.
Another New York chick flick 
2008-03-27 - The older woman, younger man theme is just really harsh.
Add a Jewish doctor for a mother who is treating the
older woman after her divorce and you get a disaster that
really never convinces us of more than animal passion.
As a basis for a long term marriage with children,
a "happy ending" is probably a disaster?
It takes more for a successful marriage than just lust...
Great Romantic Comedy
2008-01-07 - I really loved this movie, it is by far the best romantic movie I have seen in years. The actors all do such an amazing job, especialy Bryan Greenburg. I had never heard of this young actor, but now i am a huge fan. He made his character so endearing and real. It is a great, feel-good, hope for love one day kind of movie.
