The Intern
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The Intern
Warner Brothers
Pg-13. 121 min
When I am grading movies I try to keep the mana curve with similar genres styles and degree of seriousness. I wouldn't put HAMLET on the same bell curve is TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE even though both were damn good films. And I try to keep in mind that everything doesn't have to be great art that will live forever in the hallowed halls of Hollywood greatness.
There's really nothing outstanding about Robert De Niro's new film THE INTERN. It has a dash of senior citizens exploitation a dash of chick flick and a good amount of generic redemption romance film. There isn't any riveting drama nor any Oscar worthy performances yet...
For the life of me the harder I looked the less able I was to find anything to complain about.
You've seen the trailers and you know the basic setup. Jules (Ann Hathaway) a young bright ambitious girl is over her head trying to run a growing internet business all by herself. We know she will be paired up with Ben (DiNiro) a senior citizen who has been a successful businessman his entire life.
He's retired now and bored stiff by inactivity and lack of purpose so he takes a shot at becoming a senior intern, mostly just a publicity stunt thought up by one of Jules' employees, and finds himself assigned as her own personal assistant. She isn't particularly choked up by the idea but as time goes by Bens business acumen and attention to detail makes her life easier in a lot of areas she just doesn't have the time to oversee. You can probably guess that as time goes by the two of them bond and become close friends. Not only that but he serves as a mentor to some of the young hipsters working in the office.
There comes a point in the film where investors are concerned about putting their capital into such a young business with no actual seasoned CEO. I had guessed, incorrectly I might add, that we might see a Remington Steele type of hook where Ben poses as the CEO. Nope. Saddled with stress over taking care of her daughter, her marriage and her business she begins to doubt if she's really up to running a major business herself.
One of the nice things about this film is the fact that every character is likable, even when they are doing unlikable things. DiNiro plays a part we rarely see him play. He's usually a tough guy, possibly a gangster, maybe a cop or even a crotchety old father in law. Here he's just a kind, understanding and intelligent older man. Anne Hathaway too strikes a perfect balance between the overworked executive and the damsel in distress.
There's nothing unpleasant about the film that doesn't get repaired by the closing credits. One final observation, am I the only one that thinks that Rene Russo, Ben's love interest, is actually a man in drag? I thought they could have possibly found someone a little more feminine looking; maybe Caitlin Jenner?
Anyway this isn't anything we will be watching when Oscar time comes around but I think it does what it sets out to do just perfectly.
A-
WSS
Westside Steve Simmons
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