PRIME

My quest to see all of Meryl Street’s movie performances continued in 2022.  Next up was Prime, released in 2005. It tells the story of Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman), a freshly divorced woman of 37, and David Bloomberg (Bryan Greenberg) a 23-year-old struggling artist. The two meet randomly at the onset of the film, and shortly thereafter, David asks Rafi out on a date. Rafi is a little distraught over the age difference, but David doesn’t see it as an issue. As Rafi struggles to balance the age difference against the emotional joy and sexual satisfaction that David is providing her, she confides intimate details of her budding relationship with her therapist Lisa Metzger (Streep).

Viewers become aware very soon after the story begins unfolding that David is actually Metzger’s son. Seems she uses her maiden name for her practice! It takes quite a bit longer before Dr. Metzger comes to realize that the man Rafi has been sharing intimate sexual details about, is her son… and this realization provides Streep with some of the funniest acting moments of her career. Streep imbues Metzger with a range of quirky uncomfortable fidgeting that is simply hilarious.

The chemistry between Thurman and Greenberg is delightful, and the acting is top-notch all the way around. Director Ben Younger peppers the movie with interesting cutaways that help elevate feelings, moods, and humor in an unexpected way. Once the “big reveal” becomes known to all the characters there is a small amount of floundering within the story. When originally viewing it, I was disappointed with the film’s final arc, but in hindsight, it was because I was harboring a pre-conceived conclusion I wanted the story to reach. Upon further reflection, the movie isn’t about romance, it’s about connection and growth. David’s growth, Rafi’s growth, and even Lisa Metzger’s growth. Adjusting my perspective allowed me to enjoy the movie much more. The website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an aggregated audience score of 52%. I think that is a shame. I would give it a score of at least 75%. Prime has much more going for it than not. It’s not an outstanding film, but it is an enjoyable one that has an original premise, respectable acting, and many, many good laughs.