Prime
I have just finished watching the movie "Prime," starring Merryl Street and Uma Thurman. In case you haven't seen it the premise is that a 37 year old, recently divorced woman (Uma Thurman) falls in love with the 23 year old son of her long-time therapist, played by Meryl Street. The therapist realizes fairly early on that Uma's paramour is her very own son, and makes the decision not to tell her client that she has realized this.
Did anybody else feel entirely too discomfited by the dishonest way in which the therapist handled her ethical responsibilities towards her client? I felt as if I was crawling out of my skin sitting on the couch watching her. I guess this is one more awful representation of therapy professionals to add to my ever-growing list. I asked family members watching the movie with me what they thought of Meryl Streep's portrayal of a therapist, and whether they would have felt safe and comfortable with her as their therapist. Comments were that she was (a) giving too much advice and not giving the client any room to breathe (b) putting her own interests ahead of those of her client (c) confusing her own issues with those of the client (d) making her client uncertain, confused and bewildered by her antics, while denying that she was acting any different or feeling anything unusual and (e) being affected and annoying!
Once the therapist realizes that Uma Thurman is dating Meryl Streep’s son, it becomes increasingly apparent that the therapist is using the client’s sessions to find out information about her son.
Contrary to Streep’s representation of how therapy is conducted, therapy is NOT about a clucking maternal figure, “chatting” with a client and hand-holding their way through a session, while commiserating, in clichés, about how hard life is! A therapist should be able to challenge their clients to see their lives in new and different ways, not alternately soothe them into oblivion with well-placed platitudes about love, romance and religion and the occasional affectionate patting of cheeks.
I’m still shuddering.
Did anybody else feel entirely too discomfited by the dishonest way in which the therapist handled her ethical responsibilities towards her client? I felt as if I was crawling out of my skin sitting on the couch watching her. I guess this is one more awful representation of therapy professionals to add to my ever-growing list. I asked family members watching the movie with me what they thought of Meryl Streep's portrayal of a therapist, and whether they would have felt safe and comfortable with her as their therapist. Comments were that she was (a) giving too much advice and not giving the client any room to breathe (b) putting her own interests ahead of those of her client (c) confusing her own issues with those of the client (d) making her client uncertain, confused and bewildered by her antics, while denying that she was acting any different or feeling anything unusual and (e) being affected and annoying!
Once the therapist realizes that Uma Thurman is dating Meryl Streep’s son, it becomes increasingly apparent that the therapist is using the client’s sessions to find out information about her son.
Contrary to Streep’s representation of how therapy is conducted, therapy is NOT about a clucking maternal figure, “chatting” with a client and hand-holding their way through a session, while commiserating, in clichés, about how hard life is! A therapist should be able to challenge their clients to see their lives in new and different ways, not alternately soothe them into oblivion with well-placed platitudes about love, romance and religion and the occasional affectionate patting of cheeks.
I’m still shuddering.
posted by Jassy @ 9:20 PM
11 Comments:
At 2:10 PM,
Medicoglia, RN said…
I haven't seen it...have no desire to either. The previews rubbed me the wrong way...not sure why, but probably for all the reasons you said.
At 4:30 AM,
Dori said…
I agree about the poor portrayal of therapists and therapy (although I thought Meryl's warmth and compassion was nice--especially when she and Uma meet up awkwardly later on and they hug and say that they missed one another). But, since you are a sex therapist, it would be remiss not to mention the combustive sexual chemistry between Uma and her man. This flick packed some heat!
At 12:39 PM,
Anonymous said…
Didn't see it yet. But in my experiance usually in the media anything that has to do with the mental health profession or mental illness is skewed. Have you ever seen What about Bob? Funny but ridiculous!
At 9:34 AM,
Medicoglia, RN said…
Okay...saw the movie. You know...not only was the portrail of the T horrible, but the whole movie kind of sucked! So much opportunity for it to become a great story and they just didn't pull it off. Too bad really...Meryl is probably the greatest actress of our time. And HER T was horrible also!! "you did the right thing"?!? WHAT? Bleh.
At 6:50 PM,
Dr. Deb said…
I thought this was a TERRIBLE movie. I had to turn it off, in fact. I didn't like how psychotherapy and how the psychotherapist were represented. I do alot of media work to help with realism in the mental health field, so seeing this made me shudder too.
At 12:10 AM,
Raine said…
That movie was BORING. It wasnt even good enough to give me the creeps LOLOL. Tho I must say Meryl Streep is like no therapist I have ever seen. If I were a therapist I would probably be insulted. As it is I think someone had a potentially interesting thought for a story line and totally flubbed it. The movie wasnt worth the $3.95
At 1:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
lol Raine
At 6:16 PM,
Anonymous said…
Good movie...and that is entirely it...it was a MOVIE...
At 3:31 PM,
Anonymous said…
No offense but in my opinion you take the 'portrayal of a Therapist" way too serious. It was a MOVIE as Anonymous said.And it meant to be a comedy and it has to have a story line. Without trying to give an advise ( like the Meril Streep character:)), may be you should examine why you have such a strong reaction on the subject. ( at least to me sounded strong). What people will remember of the movie is different, for me the movie was not bad and I remember the chemistry between Uma Turman and the T son. Like for the movie called "Prendimi l'anima' which touch the subject of patient-T sexual relationship, namely the relationship of Jung and Sabina Spielrein, I will remember rather her murdered by Nazi troops and that that she is the most 'criminally' forgotten pioneer in psychoanalysis. I'll remember also Jung's firs break trough in 'The talk therapy" , which helped therapy after that discovering contra-transference ( for one of many example) and establishing it as a term, of which Jung wasn't aware at the time.
Again 'Prime' was a movie. Every creative work expresses reality in different way, as every person in general interpret "REALISM IN THE MENTAL HELTH FIELD" ( as in any other field) only in slightly different way. Which in Therapy labeling language means that the planet Earth is occupied of 6 billions,.... schizophrenics ..-:)
Why some therapist cannot take break after the day at the office, stop analyzing and try feeling for a change.
At 3:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
... Ops, I realized that I just left a comment for a post from 2006. As always quick to reply!
At 4:34 PM,
Independence Glass Cutting said…
God blesss
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