Mohamed FarisMovie Review: The Intern
No, a Nat Wolff cameo is not the reason you should be watching The Intern –it isn’t worth it. But The Intern is worth its weight in gold with its morals. You’ll ask: what knowledge does a 70-year old retiree have for a fast moving, young online company and vice versa? Every bit of knowledge they each need it seems.
Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is an unfulfilled retiree who leads a hollow life following the death of his wife when he chances across a flyer offering a senior internship programme at About The Fit, a booming online fashion site, the brainchild of Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). Jules is initially skeptical of having an elderly man be her intern at first, but Ben’s wisdom, charm and can-do attitude see the two becoming amiable colleagues and fast friends.
Prior to watching the trailer and the film, we thought it would portray our cynical idea of what a typical intern does. In De Niro, we’ thought we’d see a poor old intern being bullied by a seething Anne Hathaway, dying to vent some steam from her time in The Devil Wears Prada.
If you want to see Robert De Niro be a Sai Kang warrior [a person who has to do unpleasant tasks], then you’d be pretty disappointed.
What we got was a summary of what an internship should be about: learning every lesson you possibly can about your craft, your community, and yourself.
Ben learns from scratch how to use a computer with the help of his welcoming colleagues, even getting his grandson to explain to him what a USB was (and eventually switches from an old Samsung mobile to an iPhone).
But it wasn’t a young beats old fest. What he learns in technical skill, Ben teaches back in experience and wisdom; helping Jason (Adam DeVine) make up with his love interest, Becky (Christina Scherer), and guiding Davis (Zack Pearlman) in finding a new home, just to name a few.
The multiple avuncular scenes between Ben and Jules were as heartwarming as they were realistic. We found ourselves empatizing for them. Never too sappy or overemotional, the chemistry between the two Academy Award winning actors is stunning.
De Niro’s complex emotions throughout the film could be seen transparently just by his facial expressions and body language, and Hathaway transitions beautifully between being an anxious boss to loving mother. The pair were refreshing and a joy to watch. It’s also worth mentioning that JoJo Kushner, who plays Paige, Jules’ daughter; is incredibly adorable and adds that extra tug at the viewer’s heartstrings.
The story is well paced and its hard to find a gap, or moment where something doesn’t quite add up. The complications and solutions are all laid out nicely, with laughs planted tactically break tensions.
We are well satisfied with the film, but if we have to be nitpicky about something, it’s that the storyline between Jason and Becky was not concluded.
The Intern is a great movie for interns and folks setting out to be interns to watch as it portrays a prime example of how fruitful and fulfilling an internship can and should be. For those who aren’t in the aforementioned category, it’ll still be a touching tale of friendship and struggle worth your while.
[xrr rating=4/5 display_as=textstars label=”Our Rating:”]
Information
Release Date: September 24
Runtime: 121 minutes
Language: English
Rating: PG13 – Some course language
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: Nancy Meyers
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro, Adam DeVine, Christina Scherer, Zack Pearlman