The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Film
The Internship

The Internship: Flat & Clichéd ‘Feel-Good’ Comedy

  • Owen WilsonRose Byrne...
  • Comedy
  • Shawn Levy
reviewed by
Marija Loncarevic
rate it
review it
The Internship: Flat & Clichéd ‘Feel-Good’ Comedy

Regrettably, everything about The Internship feels a little trying and awfully outdated. It’s been eight years since Wilson and Vaughn were paired up as the amusing and naughty con-men in the 2005 hit-comedy, Wedding Crashers, and for those hoping to see more of the same, well, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Directed by Shawn Levy, The Internship centres on forty-year-old salesmen, and best friends, Billy (Vaughn) and Nick (Owen).  The duo have everything going for them until one day they learn that their services will no longer be needed and that their company – due to the extensive pressure of the digital age awakening – has decided to shut down.

With the growing desire to do something better with their lives, Billy and Nick manage to talk their way into an internship at Google and join a specially-designed  intern program run by the serious-looking and difficult boss, Roger Chetty (Mandvi). They soon find themselves amongst a dozen of tech-savvy interns that are almost half their age, leaving them at a slight disadvantage as less informed buffoons.

In order to get a full-time, paid position at the technology power-house, the interns are split into two teams of six and are forced to compete for employment. Billy and Nick are teamed up with a group of oddballs and misfits – naturally, hilarity ensues.

Working from a story originally written by Vaughn himself and adapted to the screen by Jared Stern, The Internship aspires to be an uncomplicated, feel-good comedy, but ends up being a melting pot of buddy-movie clichés. The film is filled with some heavy-handed life lessons and spends a little too much time building admiration for Google.

The chemistry between Vaughn and Wilson is surprisingly flat and stands pretty pale in comparison to their previous collaborations. On the other hand, the supporting cast keep The Internship from hitting absolute rock-bottom, with special nods going to O’Brian and Sircar, who, as part of the oddball team of interns, offer a few entertaining and memorable moments.

All in all, The Internship falls flat on its face and, along with its leads, feels a little timeworn.

Like This? Try

Wedding Crashers (2005), Animal House (1978), The Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

360 Tip

According to the reports, Google didn’t pay a single cent in the production of The Internship. We, however, beg to differ.

Write your review

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

recommended