A divorcee unknowingly dates her therapist’s younger son in PRIME, a super underrated Jewish rom-com from the 2000s. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.PRIME. Ever heard of it? That 2005 rom-com starring Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman that’s also very Jewish? It’s OK if you haven’t. I don’t think you’re alone. This movie is never mentioned or brought up when you Google “Jewish movies.” Despite being distributed by Universal Pictures, making close to $68 million at the box office, and starring a stellar cast, PRIME has disappeared from our lives. When you think Meryl Streep, you think Sophie’s Choice or Mamma Mia! or any of the other films she’s done. When you think Uma Thurman, you think Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill. PRIME, however? I really doubt that.
About a month or two ago while sitting in my parents’ kitchen eating my Sunday bagel with cream cheese and watching TV, PRIME came on the TV. My body was instantly transported back to my high school freshman years of 2005 and 2006 and the numerous times that my sister, her friends, and I would put this on and giggle our butts off. I’ve missed it like crazy!
I doubt this blog will cause this underrated flick to reemerge in the zeitgeist, but I can sure try. I LOVE this movie. I love it. As someone who always argues that I’m not interested in romantic comedies, I admit that I am occasionally a flat-out liar. There’s something about PRIME that has stuck with me all these years later. The movie was not well-received when it came out with most critics arguing that the plot was too generic and like something from a failed sitcom. Well…yes, I do agree a bit. The plot isn’t the most original thing in the world. I can also argue that some parts of the movie have not aged well. In fact, if you watch any movie from the 2000s and before, a LOT has not aged well. For example, there is a scene in PRIME where a Jewish man introduces his non-Jewish, African American girlfriend to his bubbe. She stares at her in shock. In the next scene, he reminisces how she was so upset that she nearly “died” later…
Ouch. I know, I know. That’s a TERRIBLY offensive Jewish stereotype. (No, people. Not all bubbes are racist.) It’s no excuse at all, but the 2000s were…different. You could get away with a lot of “jokes” that were never OK to begin with. That’s why, all these years later, we are more aware of our mistakes. Ben Younger, the writer and director of PRIME, is Jewish himself and was raised in a Modern Orthodox home. I really doubt he meant to offend people. I think a lot of comedy filmmakers – since the creation of cinema – have never tried to intentionally upset people. Now we know that we should think twice before “joking” in a movie.
Anyway, there’s no reason to “cancel” PRIME. That’s one bad scene, yes, but the rest of the movie is funny, sexy, charming, and excellently acted with some great dialogue. It’s a rom-com set in (you guessed it) New York City with real characters in palpable situations and their own relatable conflicts. The plot could make for a sitcom, but is that a bad thing? Do we really need to criticize the movie for that? Can’t we delight at a comedy like this and not overthink things?
And personally, I don’t think PRIME is as “silly” as some critics wrote it to be. The film follows the lives and relationships between three people. Rafi (Uma Thurman) is a 37-year-old divorcee who is very close with Lisa (Meryl Streep), her therapist. They meet all the time in Lisa’s super Jewish office. (There’s a mezuzah next to her door, and one of the books on her shelves is titled Lesbians and the Kabbalah.) They have such a special relationship that it’s so pleasant to watch. Your therapist is there to protect you and never judge. Rafi is always a little hesitant to spill her secrets, but she trusts Lisa, a deeply respectful woman, whose advice is always important.
One night, Rafi meets a handsome 23-year-old named David (Bryan Greenberg) at a movie theater with friends. They hit it off. Is there…maybe something there?
“He’s so young,” Rafi tells Lisa. “He could be my brother.”
“If he were one year younger, he could be your brother,” responds Lisa.
Lisa sees no problem with her patient sleeping with a younger guy. I mean, what’s the big deal? They’re both adults. Rafi agrees that she doesn’t see a real future with David, but does that really matter? She just divorced her husband. She can have some fun.
Unfortunately, as we soon see, it turns out that David is Lisa’s son. UH OH. And in one of the most hilarious moments of the film, Lisa finds this out in a session with Rafi, her brow furrowing. (Streep is too funny.)
“I’m a wreck!” Lisa cryingly tells her own therapist in the scene after. “She’s not even Jewish!”
Lisa’s issue is she can’t bring herself to tell her patient that her new lover is her son. The sessions get more and more hilariously awkward as Rafi describes her sex life with David, including very detailed descriptions of his private parts. Lisa feels both a dedication to her patient but a motherly devotion to her son. Of course, she doesn’t want her son to marry someone older and not Jewish. What works so well in PRIME is how Streep doesn’t stereotype the “overbearing Jewish mother” archetype. Yes, Lisa’s failure to confess to Rafi is pretty unethical, but she’s stuck. She’s not perfect. Besides, can you imagine how painfully awkward it must be to tell your patient, someone who you’ve become so close with, that they have been sleeping with your son?
Younger could have had Streep play the over-the-top Jewish mom, but the actress (who isn’t Jewish, I should add) keeps Lisa at a likable stance. She’s not annoying or rash. She, a therapist, sees a therapist herself! No one quite knows what to do in PRIME, which is something that I’ve always appreciated about it. It’s so real. Rafi does feel a stronger attraction to David, but could this really work? Does age really matter? David, who works as a painter in the Upper West Side, is still a kid, in some ways, playing video games and not cleaning up his place. He really likes Rafi, but is he mature enough to seriously date a much older woman? Or is sex and fun the only option for them?
Age age age. It always comes down to age. Maturity vs. immaturity. Young vs. old. As we see in PRIME, age – more so than religion – is something we can’t evade when it comes to relationships, no matter how hard we try. All we can do is take a chance and see what happens. Hilarity and a sure lot of awkwardness may come about, but it’s so worth it.
PRIME is now available to stream on Starz.