Prime

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Uma Thurman	Rafi Gardet
Meryl Streep	Lisa Metzger
Bryan Greenberg	David Bloomberg
Jon Abrahams	Morris
Zak Orth	Randall
Annie Parisse	Katherine
Aubrey Dollar	Michelle
Adriana Biasi	Bay Ridge Blonde
David Younger	Brother #1
Palmer Brown	Brother #2

Director	Ben Younger
Producer	Jennifer Todd; Suzanne Todd
Writer	Ben Younger

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