Movie Review: The Intern
By Van Williams, Contributor
[Warner Bros; 2015]
Rating: 4/5
Coming off of the successful 2009 film It’s Complicated, Nancy Meyers made her 2015 return with a brilliant cast, and an equally compelling and entertaining story in The Intern. After numerous lead changes, finally the spots were taken by Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. There was a relatively high budget, spending just over $40 million on the movie, but as of this past weekend, it has grossed over $107 million.
The movie starts with Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) stating some thought provoking dialogue in that soothing tone of his; you’re soon to find out this is essentially his resumé video. De Niro is hired by a growing startup company looking for interns with more experience than the average recent college grad.
This is where Jules Ostin (Anna Hathaway) comes in. At first, she is against the idea of an old man following her around all day. The thought of handing out pity work to someone who can’t keep up with everyone else eats at her, but soon her opinion is swayed by Whittaker’s old school method.
Ostin is distant at first, but she and Whittaker quickly build a relationship not only inside but outside of the workplace. The juxtaposition of Whittaker’s old school approach and calm charisma against Ostin’s young, everything-all-the-time method is clear, and the fact that the former is the intern is obviously humorous. The leads are supported by a strong cast in company masseuse Fiona (Rene Russo), Ostin's husband and stay-at-home-dad Matt (Anders Holm) and the characters played by Adam Devine and Zack Pearlman, both of which become Whittaker’s younger company buddies.
Nancy Meyers is no newcomer to feel-good movies, and such is clear here. She wrote and directed The Parent Trap, which so many fell in love with years ago, and she’s back, better than ever with The Intern.
