Prime
From IMDb Movie database
A shallow and rather vulgar "romantic" "comedy", 25 March 2006
So Hollywood decides that it is time for a new "romantic comedy" which covers the fashionable subject of the attractive "older" woman taking a "toy boy" lover. She (Uma Thermon) 37, he (Bryan Greenberg) 23. She divorcée on the rebound from a failed marriage. He hunky stud learning about life (and girls) and looking for fun, whilst pondering his inner soul where a "great artist" is struggling to be free. Add his Jewish family and (especially) his Jewish mum (Meryl Streep) who wants him to settle down with a nice Jewish girl and you have plenty of room for some Neil Simon style yiddisher Mama clichés. Further complicate things by having the Thurmon character's psychoanalyst the Streep character (i.e. her lover's mum - gettit?) and let the fun begin.
Whilst daring (plenty of genitalia descriptions) and modern the plot is also derivative. Perhaps the illusions are intentional (e.g. the scene stolen from "Notting Hill" where he breaks into a small urban garden with his new love to sit quietly amongst the greenery and the peace)they are none the less unoriginal. Putting red wine in the fridge - now what movie was that from? I saw the film on a long distance flight so perhaps it was an edited edition, but most of the coitus did seem to be off-screen. But the anatomical references were up front (to coin a phrase) and (I'm no prude) vulgar. Wanting to "knit a little hat for his lovely penis" - that sort of thing.The direction is as clichéd as the story. The usual city shots in the twilight...
As far as the performances are concerned let's assume (charitably) that the stars were directed that way. Funniest (not wholly intentionally) of all is Streep and about half way through the film I roared out loud (causing some of my fellow passengers to look up) when I realised who she reminded me of - it was Dustin Hoffman in drag in Tootsie - the spitting image of Steep's Mama/psychoanalyst!
If you have really nothing better to do (like me at the time) then watch the film if you must. But better to find a good book.
If you have really nothing better to do (like me at the time) then watch the film if you must. But better to find a good book.