Prime

Ever since Harry met Sally and Tom Hank’s kid called the radio show, the romantic comedy has become a pillar of cinema and, more importantly, first dates. Over the years we’ve been treated to coffee house orgasms, genital lacerations and, not forgetting, the inimitable genius that is Hugh Grant. So it’s easy to feel a little underwhelmed when a film like Prime comes along.

The iconic greats of Sleepless In Seattle and When Harry Met Sally were the inspiration for countless films that would come to clog the multiplex on Valentine’s Day, with fledgling couples hoping for some laughs, romance and maybe the odd tear. With more modern offerings such as As Good As It Gets and There’s Something About Mary all proving that the rom-com can be both raucously funny and genuinely moving, Prime is a little out of its depth.

Directed and written by Boiler Room maestro Ben Younger, Prime unrepentantly pillages the romantic comedy to near embarrassing levels as it trades on every quirk, cliché and formula. The story follows the life of divorcee Rafi Gardet (Uma Thurman) who, while going through something of a personal crisis, falls for talented young artist Ryan Greenberg (David Bloomberg – One Tree Hill). The somewhat predictable sex-driven humour is punctuated by tiresome musings on the couple’s religious differences, Rafi’s family being Catholic and David’s Jewish.

Rafi is predictably hampered by the lack of closure from her divorce and a sense of foreboding over her relationship with David. Between her cluster of tritely characterised gay friends and her therapist Lisa (Meryl Streep), Rafi becomes ever more bemused over her possible future with David, even more so when the prospect of a baby arises. This is where the dialogue is at its glorious best as David offers to have a baby as a 'gift' to Rafi because he knows it’s what she really wants. This is clearly too much for the emotional Rafi who is so swept away by her toy-boy she confesses that his love is the only ‘gift’ she needs (warning: at this point prepare for regurgitation of movie nibbles).

The obviously crippling anxiety a beautiful women would have over dating a hunky young stud is the major plot point of the film so the story is a little difficult to digest. Both Thurman and Streep lend the picture a credibility that allows it to punch above its weight and without them it would have undoubtedly been slapped with an express ticket straight to video. Bloomberg, however, is clearly restricted by direction that was probably limited to advice like ‘look handsome’ and ‘try to look even more handsome’ so it would be unfair to laden him with bad press. The more trenchant criticism is rightly reserved for Younger who, having given us the gritty Wall Street styled Boiler Room, is clearly destined for a very singular sojourn in rom-com.

How or why the likes of Uma Thurman and the era defining talent of Meryl Streep were attracted to this film is anyone’s guess, the writing is laboured and the direction uninventive. If you’re planning a cosy night in with a movie you would be hard pressed to find a less engaging romantic comedy. If you’re a die hard (literally) fan of either Thurman or Streep then rent it if only to remind yourself that, though extravagantly gifted in their art, they are only human and do make mistakes now and then.