‘The Intern’ appeals to audiences young and old

BY

Ron and Leigh Martel
Movie Reviewers, The Friday Flyer

When you see a movie written and directed by Nancy Meyers (“Parent Trap”, “It’s Complicated,” “The Holiday,” etc.), you can be fairly assured it won’t be remembered at Oscar time. However, it will put a smile on your face, make you feel good all over and you’ll probably buy the DVD to share with your friends and family.

Please don’t confuse Meyers’ latest feature “The Intern” with the recent Vince Vaughn debacle, “The Internship.” The premise is similar, where older members of society enter the younger work force at an Internet startup company. However, that’s where the similarity ends. The Vaughn flick aims at a younger audience. Although this Meyers’ film is aimed at the senior set, it can generate a much broader appeal.

Academy Award winner Robert De Niro not only reaches into his comedic routine again (“Meet the Parents,” 2000), this might be his most genuinely charming role to date. No “Aging Bull,” he instantly comes across as warm, friendly and pleasant as your favorite uncle. The recently retired widower, Ben Whittaker, enjoys retirement, but after exhausting new activities, boredom sets in. This man without a plan needs to feel useful again.

Responding to an ad for senior citizens, Ben interviews for an internship at an e-commerce fashion business, headed by the savvy 30-something entrepreneur, Jules Ostin (Oscar winner Anne Hathaway). Apparently, Jules had forgotten she had agreed to this program and doesn’t like “old people.” So, it takes her a while to adjust to this situation. As we all know from the trailers, she’ll not only get used to Ben, but eventually learns to trust his paternal disposition.

Filmed in Brooklyn and narrated by Ben (DeNiro), this is a fish-out-of-water tale, where a 40-year company man is suddenly thrust into a workplace that is completely foreign to him. Today’s younger energetic workers have such a firm grasp and reliance on technology, dress differently and listen to different music than their older counterparts.

No surprise there; but instead of pitting the two generations against each other, Meyers very cleverly presents how the values of the older generation are still relevant today. Sure, some of the characters may initially sneer at this antique trying to function in today’s world, but she then shows how each can complement each other. Fortunately, she also presents the young whipper-snappers as respectful people willing to learn.

Ben believes that a musician never retires, but stops only when there’s no more music in him. Although he doesn’t understand much of the new working world, he does know business and people. Meyers is expert in featuring life’s little issues that can become major problems. With a light and lively musical score, seniors will applaud the tagline, “experience never gets old.”

Okay, so the circumstances are drawn a little too convenient for Ben to transform his internship into mentorship heroics. And, maybe seniors are cast a little too favorably, but the situations are credible. For some of us, it is a welcome change of pace. In fairness, it is also the portrait of a strong, independent young woman, successful in business. Jules must also learn to balance her roles as a mother and wife of a stay-at-home dad, played by charming Anders Holm (“The Mindy Project”).

“The Intern” is two hours and rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and brief strong language. Originally written for Jack Nicholson and Tina Fey, these leads (De Niro and Hathaway) are absolutely delightful together. They present confident, yet vulnerable characters that need something well within their grasp, but seemingly out of reach.

Critics might demand more character edge and some viewers more vulgarity. But, once again, Meyers refreshingly delivers intelligent, witty and wholesome. Almost 10 years ago, Hathaway starred as a fashion industry newbie in “Devil Wears Prada.” She has now graduated to CEO so she can appreciate the word “intern,” which is Latin for “cheap labor.”

Ron’s Rating: B+   Leigh’s Rating: A-