Show Prime sets up nicely doesn't fully deliver Carina Chocano Los Angeles Times Ben Youngers Younger's Prime has to have one of the most appealing comedic premises in a a. a long time when I first heard about it I had the feeling Id I'd been waiting for it The story sets sets up one of the most squirm-inducing squirm triangles ever committed to film Thirty-seven- Thirty year-old year Rafi Raft Gardet Uma Thurman has just gone through a painful divorce throughout which she has relied on the support and encouragement of her therapist Lisa Metzger Meryl meets a cute acute year 23 old painter named Dave Bloomberg Bryan Greenberg she is charmed but hesitant to get involved Ever supportive Lisa urges Raft Rafi to have fun while it lasts until she discovers discovers dis dis- discovers dis- dis covers that the lad in question is her own son Lisa must decide whether to conI con con- I J. J tine treating the fragile R Rafi ft on the chance that the affair will play itself out or come clean about what she knows Despite the snappy brilliance of the setup though Prime Prinie doesn't entirely deliver on its its' pr promise mise something about the way it ends feels like a out cop-out and the opportunities opportunities opportunities f for r humor arent aren't exploited quite as well as they could be Part of the problem is that more time is spent on the sweet but otherwise unexciting romance between Rafi Raft and Dave than on the excruciating relationship between Raft Rafi and Lisa clearly the more interesting dynamic Prime does offer a clever and cheerful of the limits of the therapeutic relationship relationship relationship relation relation- ship not to mention its unrealistic standards double-standards without ever sliding into spirited mean-spirited histrionics ics a la Monster in But it might have delved a little deeper into the feelings that arise between Rafi Raft and the woman she has turned 4 into her surrogate mother a mother whose support and admiration admiration admiration admira admira- tion it turns out are more hypothetical hypothetical hypo hypo- al than heartfelt r rAs A As a therapist Lisa encourages Rafi Raft to live for the now for now even even though her patient has made it clear she's worried about things like having a baby When it comes to her younger much-younger son however Lisa is hardly so you to and A controlling Jewish mother hen she endlessly lectures Dave on the importance of marrying manying marry many ing within his faith and not entering entering enter enter- ing into relationships he knows he cant can't commit to This is an interesting qu question stion but it feels slightly beside the point You get the sense that Lisas Lisa's real problem with the relationship is slightly less lofty and that she doesn't quite have the guts to admit to her own prejudices plays the stereotype to the hilt fanning herself in distress and attacking a pastrami sandwich as a Y 11 o f It q t ti i 4 j-i j v 4 J Uma Thurman itUma it- it gets involved played by Meryl son Bryan Greenburg with her therapists therapist's i in Prime though it were the transubstantiated hussy that's corrupting her son And Thurman's role in some ways is equally thankless Rafi Raft looks gorgeous lives well and gets to enjoy herself for a while but she can never quite shake an air of embarrassment over the w way y things have turned out She looks diminished dimin dimm- almost apologetic at times though to look at her is to feel that she's earned the right not to have to ap apologize for her life At times the movie feels like tribute to Annie Arnie Hall fall a movie a IJ Raft Rafi would have likely seen before Dave was born but the subject of r movies and TV shows never neveS comes up Nothing says Youre old like talking to someone born after Alf AIr who was It Its It's s this thing that's kind of missing from Prime f the kind of thing that wouldn't even cross your mind if its premise weren't so delicious deliciously didn't leave you good and wanting g more I l I s lt t |