Review of The Intern (2015) by Thequietgamer — 23 Jun 2018

I wasn't expecting much from The Intern. Like most older actors, the work isn't quite what it once was for Robert De Niro. He's fared better than most actors who have also entered their later years, and the man is still delivering dedicated performances, but his recent string of movies have received middle-of-the-road reviews or been outright critically panned, minus a few exceptions. The Intern stands among of his more fondly recognized works of the past few years, but the professional reception has still been rather lukewarm. I thought that was because it was just going to be another schmaltzy "old people still got it" comedy lacking in any original jokes and in desperate need of some actual emotional depth as the trailers made it seem. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty thoughtful movie that takes an interesting look at the challenges of modern day life for two different generations and won me over with it's warm-heartedness.

Nancy Meyers takes the time to make us familiar with the workplace of it's online fashion startup. We get to know the supporting characters and grow to love them just as much as the two leads. Hathaway and De Niro are incredible. Their chemistry is sublime and each allows their character a great deal of emotional depth and nuance. Meyers has a way with dialog and character interactions that makes it a lot of fun to just watch everyone get together and talk whether it be in groups or one-on-one conversations. Watching the core friendship bloom in the face of difficulties is both sweet and charming. It carries the movie forward even when it feels like nothing is really going on story-wise. The events going on in the background of the company feel somewhat inconsequential as they are easily dismissed and overcome in favor or placing the urgency and attention on seemingly trivial problems. Hathaway's character is on the search for a CEO to help her manage her company better, but The Intern is less interested in telling us about that and would rather have us focus on her OCD about a cluttered desk instead. At least the troubles in everyone's personal lives aren't treated the same way. That's where the real drama and growth occurs.

The Intern can be a pretty funny movie. Perhaps a little unevenly so though. It's better with smaller, quirkier interactions providing the majority of the laughs. It's bigger gags like an amusing midday heist and oddly raunchy massage sequences feel like they belong in a different movie. It's as if Meyers shoehorned these in so that this generation's style of comedy could give The Intern broader appeal. Understandable, but perhaps a little misguided.

I grew to love the characters here and got caught up in their personal affairs. I was also in awe of De Niro and Hathaway who really give incredible performances. Their almost familial bond is not something I would have originally expected. The way it tackles modern day issues and delivers a genuinely intelligent, non-preachy feministic message is admirable. The small scale does allow for some inconsistencies across the board such as the humor, but also makes it possible for viewers to get more personally involved with everything happening. Something that's also made easy by just how likable everybody onscreen is. 7.