Written by: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Anders Holm, Andrew Rannells
Rating: [3.5/5]
In pretty much all organizational structures, interns sit squarely at the bottom of the ladder. Brought in mostly to take care of menial tasks, not always paid, and mostly as a position for a young person to gain experience in addition to getting their foot in the door of a particular company. This association aligns the characteristics of this role to a younger person, but The Intern completely flips this concept on its head by bringing in a 70-year-old. While plenty of comedic potential exists here, Nancy Meyers creates something so beautifully endearing.
Not content with what retirement has to offer, Ben (Robert De Niro) decides he wants to get back in the workforce and try something new. He applies for an internship at an e-commerce startup, About The Fit. Initially seen as a joke, Ben begins to curry favor with all, including the CEO, Jules (Anne Hathaway) in him contributing positively not only to the workload but also the morale of the workplace.
The Intern digs into a fascinating dynamic of the workplace in the way it flips the expectation of what an intern signifies and what value still exists by having a diverse work population. Diversity initiatives typically center on race and ethnicity, but this feature focuses on age. In a world where technology continues to escape those older in age, one may think bringing on someone of this age makes no logical sense but the values of work and interpersonal connections displays Ben as an invaluable resource to the whole team. Diversity in age brings together a great combination that this film continually displays.
As Ben begins, we get the inherent culture clash comedy where you have Ben who has worked in a specific way for a long career and now re-enters the workplace in a setting that looks completely different. The setting picked made perfect sense where Ben must get acclimated to an open-concept office and employees who do not necessarily show up all dressed up in fully professional attire. Something completely different than he experienced his entire career, which made for many very easy jokes. However, none of it gravitated towards cruel or crass in displaying the difference, which comes as no surprise given we have Nancy Meyers at the helm, but instead it shows the value in both styles. Sure, this new phase of workplace culture exists, but that does not mean everything old should get completely thrown out and invalidated.
Through the interactions Ben has with his colleagues and then Jules, the CEO, display the kindness of these characters even when they display a bit of cynicism. An intentional decision made by Meyers in her attempts to not villainize or demean any character here but see the pure humanity in them. Meyers has always displayed this through her films, which serves as one of the definable elements we can all remember from watching one of her films, other than the incredible kitchen interior design often found within her works. The Intern provides this perpetual warmth throughout its runtime that displays how much care these characters have for each other, especially Ben and Jules as they come from different points in life and meet in this one moment where they needed one another’s presence more than they initially knew.
Robert De Niro starring in a comedy in the 2010s typically did not signify anything positive with regard to the quality of the films. Often there to catch a paycheck solely, his collaboration with Nancy Meyers worked wonderfully. He brings this old man charm to the role that makes him such a wave of positivity that vanquishes any of the cynicism these characters may hold. De Niro does not opt to bring any of the tough guy elements and played it straight like Meyers needed him to and delivered and pairs well with Anne Hathaway.
Nothing but an utter delight, The Intern finds Nancy Meyers in fine form as she delivers something that will warm the heart of many. She takes a circumstance where cheap jokes could be the only source of entertainment but she opts for something much more meaningful and manages to craft characters we can deeply care for. The film contains plenty of fun workplace humor but ultimately still feels incredibly human in the issues it explores, not only with Ben as an older man re-entering the workforce but also Jules as she manages her CEO role and her family with the balance required to make it all work.
Films with Josh 
