Prime
Meryl Streep does a comedic turn as the shrink
whose shikse patient is dating her Jewish son
Rafi (Uma Thurman) is a 37-year-old recent divorcee
who has never been very happy with her relationships, until she meets
good-looking, sensitive 23-year-old David Bloomberg (Bryan Greenberg). Her
therapist, Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep), completely approves of Rafi's dating
this younger man, but she doesn't approve of her son seeing a non-Jewish woman,
much less one so much older than him. The comedy ensues when Lisa realizes that
her son is the young man she approves so highly of for Rafi. Her own therapists
suggests she wait before calling off treatment with
Rafi.
What's particularly good about
Prime is that it never strays too terribly far from reality. Everything seems
quite plausible. And watching Streep squirm as Rafi tells her all sorts of
intimate details about her own son's sex life is a scream. And of course, the
fallout once the whole story is revealed is quite funny as
well.
Contrary to the trailers, the movie
is much more about the two people in the relationship than it is about Streep
and Thurman. Even without Streep as her therapist and his mother, Prime raises a
lot of issues about inter-faith couples and age disconcondant couples that also
looks and feel realistic, giving this comedy a refreshing if somewhat
bittersweet tinge. That David is concealing his living arrangements--he's
bunking with his grandparents--and lacks some of the judgement that only comes
with living a bit longer are all telling. That Rafi's friends put him through an
interrogation of sorts is also telling too.
Overall, a suprisingly good romantic
comedy without improbable
situations.
[Seen at the UA Kaufman
theatre in Astoria]
Posted: Sat
- November 5, 2005 at 12:48 PM