Synopsis: Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation’s most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.
Release Date: June 7, 2013 MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Comedy,
Film Review
Production
In a lot of ways, The Internship feels like a direct sequel to the 2005 film Wedding Crashers, in which Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn finagled their way into dozens of
weddings. Each would use their gift for improv on the characters, and by extension the audience, to charm their way into or out of any situation.
Fast forward 8 years later, and the two are working with the same shtick, only in a
different setting. In place of gaudy nuptials are the offices at Google, and instead of
fast-talking bachelors the two are fast-talking unemployed interns.
After finding themselves lost in a changed job market, the duo end up a part of a highly
competitive internship program, where teams must succeed at a certain number of
challenges in the hopes of earning a position at Google. Of course, with Google being at the
forefront of technology, it’s only fitting that Wilson and Vaughn’s characters, Nick and Billy,
are woefully inept when it comes to anything tech-related. As you can probably guess, the
typical hilarity ensues as Nick and Billy work with their team of rejects, interns culled
together after all the proper teams were selected, to earn a job.
The Internship‘s premise isn’t terribly original, and a lot of characters are borderline
offensive stereotypes, but despite some general mediocrity, the film has its heart in the
right place and is surprisingly funny. Wilson and Vaughn are clearly well aware that their
strengths lie when playing off each other, and the film serves those strengths well. The
story even touches upon some genuinely poignant subject matter involving how the job
market impacts various generations, but it doesn’t stick with it, which is a shame. To be
honest, the film has a lot of shortcomings, including way too many generic B-plots. And for
a film where Google is the central focus, The Internship feels surprisingly light on actual
jokes related to Google.
But despite some glaring problems, The Internship succeeds more than it fails, and had me
smiling and/or laughing more than I ever expected to. Yes, the film is a bit too long, and
very uneven in tone, but when it keeps the audience happy, it’s hard not to give the film at
least a casual recommendation.
Comedy Factor
If you were a fan of Vaughn and Wilson’s work in Wedding Crashers, you’ll likely find a lot to enjoy in The Internship, even though the material is much more tame than that film. Wilson and Vaughn deliver their funniest performances in years, even if most of their best moments come from off-the-cuff non-sequiturs and not organic story beats. And although a lot of them are relegated to generic stereotypes like hyper-sexualized nerd girl and overly self-critical Asian, the film’s supporting cast do their part to generate a laugh or two when need be.
At the same time, it’s hard to nail down just who exactly it’s geared towards. At times the film teeters between PG-13 and R (it’s rated PG-13), which gives the comedy a bit of an edge, but that’s not enough for it to be considered raunchy or adult. There is a protracted sequence in a strip club that made me suspect Vaughn (who co-wrote the film with Jared Stern) was hoping for an R-rating, but despite its length that particular scene is perhaps the film’s most enjoyable.
Cast and Crew
- Director(s): Shawn Levy
- Producer(s):
- Screenwriter(s): Vince VaughnJared Stern
- Story:
- Cast: Owen Wilson (Nick)Vince Vaughn (Billy)John Goodman Rose Byrne
- Editor(s): Dean Zimmerman
- Cinematographer: Jonathan Brown
- Production Designer(s):
- Costume Designer:
- Casting Director(s):
- Music Score: Christophe Beck
- Music Performed By:
- Country Of Origin: USA