Once Upon a Twilight!: Movie Review: Warner Bros. Pictures' The Intern

The Intern

Directed By: Nancy Meyers
Produced By: Nancy Meyeres, Suzanne Farwell, Celia Costas (Executive Producer)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Anders Holm, Rene Russo, Andrew Rannells, Adam DeVine, Celia Weston, Nat Wolff, Linda Lavin, Zack Pearlman, Jason Orley, Christina Scherer
Genre: Comedy
Directed By: Nancy Meyers
Release Date: September 25, 2015

Official Sites: Web | Facebook

From the Writer/Director of IT'S COMPLICATED, THE HOLIDAY and SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE, THE INTERN starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway is NOW PLAYING in theaters.
In “The Intern,” Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway).

The Intern is Warner Brothers’ solution to the movie lull that naturally occurs every year after the Summer block-busters and before the Winter award-contenders. I love movies. But, mostly, I grin and bear a lot of the film openings between August and October. Thank goodness, The Intern came around to make everything better. When you see the film, you will fully understand how true my previous statement rings.

This week’s film is genuinely charming thanks to the natural likability of both of The Intern’s stars, Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway. We are used to seeing Hathaway in rom-coms, so the real delight is seeing the softer side of DeNiro. DeNiro plays as sincere and wise, and very charming. He makes the movie. If DeNiro isn’t this soft outside of his profession, he did a wonderful job of selling his softer side. I highly recommend The Intern, even if it’s just to watch DeNiro shed a few tears onscreen.

I liked the premise of the film: a robust Internet merchant decides to hire third-generation interns as a public relations gesture. After Ben (DeNiro) figures out how to upload a video to YouTube for a video application, he gets the job, and is assigned to the company’s founder, Jules (Hathaway). It’s not rocket science. We’ve seen old dog/new tricks films and neurotic boss films before. I appreciated putting both of the plotlines together. Made for a lot fun.

I loved the cast and the comedic timing. I appreciated how well the younger cast members worked with the likes of DeNiro. Sometimes when there is a living legend in a film (Yes, I called DeNiro a living legend.) the rest of the cast stands around watching the legend perform, but that was not the case in this film. The supporting cast made good contributions. My favorite scene was the Oceans 11 scene. The whole auditorium was in an uproar.

My only criticism of the The Intern pertains to Jules and her storyline. I’m a woman in a male-dominated business. I have lived many of the issues faced by Jules. And while I was able to laugh at myself though Jules’ storyline, I didn’t much appreciate how, by the end of the film, all of her issues were resolved too perfectly. She had some big issues. I wish it were that easy, Jules. I almost wanted there to be a little mess in Jules’ life when it was all said and done, to make it more real.

But don’t let my feelings about Jules keep you from seeing The Intern in theaters. Two hours well spent. It is light and funny. Great for dates and any time when a little humor is in order. You will not be disappointed. Plus, DeNiro is getting older. Have to catch him onscreen while you still can. See The Intern in theaters now.