| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A- |
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| Acting: |
A- |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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Thurman and Streep Peak in Newcomer's Comedy
by Ed (movies profile)
Feb 8, 2007
30
of
33 people found this review helpful
All of 32 years old, director-screenwriter Ben Younger surprises and sometimes confounds with a charming, often perceptive urban comedy that puts a smart spin on the tried-and-true May-December romance. There are definite traces of Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan" and even Neil Simon's "Chapter Two" when it comes to the "meet-cute" scenes. The story centers on Rafi Gardet, who is 37 years old and quite vulnerable after a recent divorce. She dives headlong into a relationship with David Bloomberg, who is 14 years her junior. He's a talented painter with little confidence in earning a living at his art and further saddled by a mother who insists he settle down with a nice Jewish girl. This part of the set-up borders on the predictable, but the unexpected degree of separation between them is what makes this comedy memorable.
Enter Lisa Metzger, Rafi's therapist. Dealing with her divorce and her newfound love, Rafi regularly sees her, and of course, shares all her insecurities and intimate secrets. The upshot is that the therapist is also David's mother. No one is aware of this complication until Lisa figures it out during a session with Rafi in what is the movie's comic high point. From that moment on, she has to decide to terminate her sessions with Rafi or do her best to keep her composure and continue the therapy. In fact, she seeks the advice of her own therapist to decide on the right course. Meanwhile, Rafi and Dave encounter choppy waters in their new relationship, and their differing priorities come to the fore.
Younger brings an idiosyncratic perspective to this movie that often rises above the formulaic and makes the inevitable shenanigans seem fresh. Although Bryan Greenberg portrays David with just the right balance of youthful zeal and insecurity, it's really the two veteran actresses who shine here. Never more beautiful (if that's possible), Uma Thurman as Rafi has never seemed so spontaneous and likeable onscreen. It's no wonder David falls for her, but what she does with comic dexterity is show why she falls for him. The effectiveness of this kind of performance lies in the details, and Thurman delivers several funny little moments, such as when Rafi explains to David that he should never start a sentence with "My mom says.." or when she collapses into a heap upon the discovery that David's roommates are his grandparents. Thurman replaced Sandra Bullock at the 11th hour, and I think the surprise of the resulting casting works in the movie's favor.
Speaking of surprises, Meryl Streep manages to pull another one out of her bottomless arsenal of characters and accents, this time, as Lisa. In a precarious balance between attentive Jewish mother and objective professional, she produces the movie's biggest laughs but never at the expense of the character, whether it's her comic responses to Rafi's enthusiasm over David's sexual prowess during their session or her equally embarrassed attempt to hide from the lovers in Crate and Barrel. Streep does not stoop to caricature (like, for example, Barbra Streisand does in "Meet the Fockers") but somehow conveys the serious ethical dilemma Lisa has in serving her patient while grappling with being a mother. Even in a seemingly light role as this, Streep continues to be a master at her craft.
Younger handles set pieces very well, like the dinner scenes at the Metzger home and even the poolside scene with Rafi's gay friends in the Hamptons. Other aspects of the film don't work as well, for instance, Lisa's stereotypical habit of refrigerating red wine, or David's best friend (played by Jon Abrahams) as a standard-issue smartass who revels in throwing pies at girls who reject him. However, the flaws are minor, as this is a truly enjoyable adult comedy directed and written by a sharp talent and handled by two masterful actresses. |
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