"The Internship" - directed by Shawn Levy
Vince Vaughan and Owen Wilson are starting to become quite the comedy pairing.
They scored themselves a hit with the very funny "Wedding Crashers" in 2005 and have appeared together to varying degress in "Starsky and Hutch" and "Zoolander".
They have good chemistry and apparently it has been noted because the dynamic between the two is exploited to the hilt in this latest pairing.
"The Internship" takes a familiar Vince Vaughan theme- the odd man (or men) out- and adds a little bit of "Revenge of the Nerds", a pinch of "Dodgeball" and even a dash of "The Social Network".
Vaughan and Wilson are two wrist watch salesmen who find themselves out of work and totally lost in a world where technology has left them in the dark ages.
So they get internships at Google and compete with hundreds of other people for the chance to get full time employment at the internet giant.
Now, this is in fact pretty much the way that Google hire people (according to Google of course).
New people are really called "Nooglers".
The company does claim to be more interested in attitude and new ways of thinking than they are in grades and references.
A brief bit of digging into the process reveals that the road to full employment at Google is really paved with horrifically cheery buzz words and feel-good concepts like collaboration and core principles.
If I sound a little cynical I don't entirely mean to.
After all- Google is repeatedly voted one of the best places in the world to work so clearly they are doing something right.
(Note that Apple, Amazon and Facebook don't feature in the Forbes top 100 places to work and haven't for seven years)
This all does however sound a warning bell for me.
Is this nothing more than a big budget advert for Google?
"The Internship" is based on a story idea by Vince Vaughan who co-wrote the screenplay with Jared Stern.
Stern is best known for contributions to the great "Wreck-It-Ralph" and the decidedly not great "The Watch".
(For my take on exactly how not great it is click HERE)
Taking the lead role of Billy, Vaughan plays a character all but indistinguishable from Peter from his hit "Dodgeball".
He is a genuine nice guy with a sharp wit and a way with people who nonetheless underachieves in life.
Likewise, Wilson's Nicky is just another variation on the same character he played in "Starsky and Hutch", "Zoolander", "Hall Pass", "Wedding Crashers" and Shanghai Knights".
I didn't expect much else and in fact this is really pretty much a good thing.
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Laurel and Hardy and many other comedy duos are allowed to be the same in every movie then why not Vaughan and Wilson?
What did worry me early on with "The Internship" was the creeping suspicion that the whole concept was deeply flawed and so riddled with implausibility as to be distracting.
Both men are broke and yet manage to get an apartment in San Francisco - admittedly a very, very tiny one.
They also manage to go out drinking and dining without too much apparent financial strain despite being unpaid interns.
There are many, many more issues throughout the movie that are best avoided lest I spoil anything.
In truth I shouldn't worry because you will pick every event that happens miles before it does.
The bigger worry is that aside from a pretty decent Will Ferrell cameo the laughs are few and far between in the first half hour.
But like "Dodgeball" this movie is possessed of such a damned sweet nature that you cannot help but like it.
It is funnier than it technically should be because it so desperately wants to be liked and is so genuine about it.
Every time it threatens to introduce an edgier element it quickly dowses them in sugar and that super sweet heart shines through.
A slutty hottie into cosplay bondage?
A self abusing mama's boy?
A depressed, cynical young man disconnected from society and borderline suicidal?
Down to the last these characters will be revealed to be much, much less.
And in the universe of "The Internship" that is a good thing.
There is a simple story at the centre of this film and even if the plot and the characters feel unbelievable by force of sheer will the good intentions and sweetness that drives the thing makes it funny.
I started not to care that the whole thing was clearly a love letter to Google or that the chances of a nerd suddenly becoming charming in the eyes of a super sexy stripper were remote to nil.
I didn't mind that the romantic subplot between Rose Byrne and Wilson was unlikely or that another romance was obvious long before it blossomed.
Nicky and Billy are such likeable losers and their sniveling, arrogant nemesis Graham such a despicable prick that there is little choice but to get in behind them and root for their team of underdogs.
It really is "Revenge of the Nerds" complete with a tournament of challenges albeit with less sex and nudity.
There are few genuine belly laughs but enough snickers and chuckles to carry it over the comedy line.
It is just a very nice movie with its heart in the right place.
I'm a sucker for the hilarious and gorgeous Rose Byrne and I like my technology too so I found a lot to be captivated by.
Every character that I was supposed to like I did come to like.
I may have been mildly ashamed with myself that I was so easily taken in but in truth the cast did a pretty good job with some pretty slim material.
There are some decent cameos from the likes of Ferrell (very good), Goodman and Riggle and even a surprise or two in the climax.
That climax may be predictable and outrageously unlikely but what the hell..... this was a fun couple of hours.
"The Internship" is surprisingly entertaining for a corporate promo.
It's a nice, predictable little tale about a bunch of likeable underdogs.
It is far from the best of its kind but it is plenty good enough as far as I am concerned.
Quite a bit better than I had thought it would be.
They scored themselves a hit with the very funny "Wedding Crashers" in 2005 and have appeared together to varying degress in "Starsky and Hutch" and "Zoolander".
They have good chemistry and apparently it has been noted because the dynamic between the two is exploited to the hilt in this latest pairing.
"The Internship" takes a familiar Vince Vaughan theme- the odd man (or men) out- and adds a little bit of "Revenge of the Nerds", a pinch of "Dodgeball" and even a dash of "The Social Network".
Vaughan and Wilson are two wrist watch salesmen who find themselves out of work and totally lost in a world where technology has left them in the dark ages.
So they get internships at Google and compete with hundreds of other people for the chance to get full time employment at the internet giant.
Now, this is in fact pretty much the way that Google hire people (according to Google of course).
New people are really called "Nooglers".
The company does claim to be more interested in attitude and new ways of thinking than they are in grades and references.
A brief bit of digging into the process reveals that the road to full employment at Google is really paved with horrifically cheery buzz words and feel-good concepts like collaboration and core principles.
If I sound a little cynical I don't entirely mean to.
After all- Google is repeatedly voted one of the best places in the world to work so clearly they are doing something right.
(Note that Apple, Amazon and Facebook don't feature in the Forbes top 100 places to work and haven't for seven years)
This all does however sound a warning bell for me.
Is this nothing more than a big budget advert for Google?
"The Internship" is based on a story idea by Vince Vaughan who co-wrote the screenplay with Jared Stern.
Stern is best known for contributions to the great "Wreck-It-Ralph" and the decidedly not great "The Watch".
(For my take on exactly how not great it is click HERE)
Taking the lead role of Billy, Vaughan plays a character all but indistinguishable from Peter from his hit "Dodgeball".
He is a genuine nice guy with a sharp wit and a way with people who nonetheless underachieves in life.
Likewise, Wilson's Nicky is just another variation on the same character he played in "Starsky and Hutch", "Zoolander", "Hall Pass", "Wedding Crashers" and Shanghai Knights".
I didn't expect much else and in fact this is really pretty much a good thing.
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Laurel and Hardy and many other comedy duos are allowed to be the same in every movie then why not Vaughan and Wilson?
What did worry me early on with "The Internship" was the creeping suspicion that the whole concept was deeply flawed and so riddled with implausibility as to be distracting.
Both men are broke and yet manage to get an apartment in San Francisco - admittedly a very, very tiny one.
 |
| The likeable team of underdogs - O'Brien, Brener, Sircar and Raphael (left-right) |
There are many, many more issues throughout the movie that are best avoided lest I spoil anything.
In truth I shouldn't worry because you will pick every event that happens miles before it does.
The bigger worry is that aside from a pretty decent Will Ferrell cameo the laughs are few and far between in the first half hour.
But like "Dodgeball" this movie is possessed of such a damned sweet nature that you cannot help but like it.
It is funnier than it technically should be because it so desperately wants to be liked and is so genuine about it.
Every time it threatens to introduce an edgier element it quickly dowses them in sugar and that super sweet heart shines through.
A slutty hottie into cosplay bondage?
A self abusing mama's boy?
A depressed, cynical young man disconnected from society and borderline suicidal?
Down to the last these characters will be revealed to be much, much less.
And in the universe of "The Internship" that is a good thing.There is a simple story at the centre of this film and even if the plot and the characters feel unbelievable by force of sheer will the good intentions and sweetness that drives the thing makes it funny.
I started not to care that the whole thing was clearly a love letter to Google or that the chances of a nerd suddenly becoming charming in the eyes of a super sexy stripper were remote to nil.
I didn't mind that the romantic subplot between Rose Byrne and Wilson was unlikely or that another romance was obvious long before it blossomed.
Nicky and Billy are such likeable losers and their sniveling, arrogant nemesis Graham such a despicable prick that there is little choice but to get in behind them and root for their team of underdogs.
It really is "Revenge of the Nerds" complete with a tournament of challenges albeit with less sex and nudity.
There are few genuine belly laughs but enough snickers and chuckles to carry it over the comedy line.
It is just a very nice movie with its heart in the right place.
I'm a sucker for the hilarious and gorgeous Rose Byrne and I like my technology too so I found a lot to be captivated by.
 |
| Rose Byrne |
I may have been mildly ashamed with myself that I was so easily taken in but in truth the cast did a pretty good job with some pretty slim material.
There are some decent cameos from the likes of Ferrell (very good), Goodman and Riggle and even a surprise or two in the climax.
That climax may be predictable and outrageously unlikely but what the hell..... this was a fun couple of hours.
"The Internship" is surprisingly entertaining for a corporate promo.
It's a nice, predictable little tale about a bunch of likeable underdogs.
It is far from the best of its kind but it is plenty good enough as far as I am concerned.
Quite a bit better than I had thought it would be.
| Rated | M for language and mild sexual references |
| Running Time: | 119 minutes (1hr, 53 mins without end credits) |
| Starring: |
| Vince Vaughan | --- Billy McMahon |
| Owen Wilson | --- Nicky Campbell |
| Rose Byrne | --- Dana |
| Aasif Mandvi | --- Mr Chetty |
| Max Minghella | --- Graham Hawtrey |
| Josh Brener | --- Lyle |
| Dylan O'Brien | --- Stuart |
| Tiya Sircar | --- Neha |
| Tobit Raphael | --- Yo-Yo Santos |
| Josh Gad | --- Headphones |
| Jessica Szohr | --- Marielena |
| John Goodman | --- NIck and Billy's boss |
| Rob Riggle | --- Randy |
| Will Ferrell | --- Mattress manager |
| Eric Andre | --- Sid |
| BJ Novak | --- Male interviewer |
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