Barnes & Noble

Misleadingly marketed as a romantic comedy, Prime has many funny moments -- some of them downright hilarious -- but it's also a somewhat sober commentary of the fragility of love. Uma Thurman portrays Rafi Gardet, a recently divorced 37-year-old who, while still feeling extremely vulnerable, falls in love with David Bloomberg (Bryan Greenberg), a smart, handsome young man some 14 years her junior. Rafi describes the whirlwind affair in graphic detail to her therapist, Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep), who's understandably squeamish about hearing the gory details: David is her son. Writer-director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) doesn't overlook the yarn's comedic possibilities; there are the customary farcical evasions followed by the inevitable discovery and the obligatory awkward dinner-table confrontation. But he puts a slightly different spin on these familiar set pieces. When Rafi learns that Lisa is her lover's mom, she isn't bemused but, rather, horrified by the disclosure; she feels betrayed by the therapist's initial lack of candor, and that betrayal inevitably contaminates her relationship with David. And unlike your typical romantic comedy, Prime sidesteps the obvious contrivances to end in a manner that does violence to genre conventions but seems more satisfying (not to mention more realistic). Thurman is perhaps a tad too glamorous to be totally convincing as a spurned wife, but she's a good enough actress to convey the surprise, despair, and vulnerability that accompany such domestic trauma. For her part, Streep imbues the therapist with just the right combination of intellectual heft and motherly angst. Both women contribute expert performances to this amiable film, which in its best moments recalls Woody Allen's great New York romances. It may not be Annie Hall or Manhattan, but Prime is a refreshing cut above the common romantic comedy. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Two women get a new and unusual perspective on the doctor/patient relationship in this romantic comedy. Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) is a woman in her mid-thirties who has recently gone through a messy divorce. Rafi has been seeing an analyst, Lisa Metzger (Meryl Streep), as she struggles to get back on her feet emotionally and look for new love. Rafi meets a man named David Bloomberg (Bryan Greenberg), and the two quickly hit it off, but Rafi isn't sure if she should pursue the relationship, since David is only 23 years old. After discussing the burgeoning romance during one of their weekly sessions, Lisa urges Rafi to take a plunge with David, and not be afraid to seek out the companionship she needs. However, there's something about David that Lisa doesn't know -- he's her son. Rafi doesn't know that Lisa is David's mother, either, and both psychiatrist and patient are thrown for a loop when they learn the truth. Prime was originally intended to star Sandra Bullock as Rafi, but she dropped out of the project shortly before filming began, reportedly due to disagreements with the director over the script, with Thurman taking her place. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 025192033551
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:45:00
• Sales Rank: 14,490

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Wedding Date / Prime / Wimbledon