It seems as though great, feel-good comedies are in short supply these days, but this fall brings us “The Intern” from director Nancy Meyers. It’s not just good – it’ll make you feel a lot better when you leave the theater.
“The Intern” stars Robert De Niro as Ben Whitaker, a 70-year-old widower and former phonebook company executive who finds that retirement is too slow for him. Itching to get back to work, he applies to a senior citizen intern program at About the Fit, a fashion e-commerce site run by founder and CEO Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). Along the way, he learns to get along with the younger employees and discovers that, despite the age gap, they actually have a lot in common.
A large part of why this movie works is the chemistry between its two leads. De Niro, who is more known for his dramatic roles in films such as “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull,” lends an unrelenting optimism to a cast full of stressed-out characters. Hathaway is also very likable as Jules, though she does sometimes veer off into manic territory. The two characters together make for some of the best moments in the film, especially when Jules expresses her insecurities about herself as a businesswoman. There is not a hint of romance between them, and it is very refreshing to see a great portrayal of a male/female best friend relationship.
The supporting cast is serviceable in the film and really shines when it interacts with Hathaway and De Niro. Adam Devine and Zack Pearlman are great as two of the younger employees working at About the Fit. Devine’s character is pretty much the same as the other characters he plays (“Pitch Perfect,” anyone?), but it works well here. Their mentor-mentee relationship with Ben is one of the most entertaining aspects of this movie. Other characters, such as Jules’s assistant, Becky (Christina Scherer), and business partner, Cameron (Andrew Rannells), are somewhat glossed over and, while enjoyable, would have benefited from more screen time.
There are a few elements that hold the movie back, however. Although it mostly revolves around its two leads, there are a couple of times when the plot dictates what the characters do rather than the other way around. These instances made the film drag just a bit before it continues on with the main story, and as a result the film felt slightly longer than it should have been. If these elements had been cut, the pacing would have been much smoother. A couple of plot threads are tied up a bit too nicely at the end of the film, though that on its own is typical of director Meyers’ previous fare such as “The Parent Trap” (1998) and “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003). It’s not necessarily a drawback, but it does feel a bit unrealistic.
Is “The Intern” the type of film that will earn unanimous praise? Not exactly. However, it is great to see a female-directed film in theaters again, and the film itself does a great job of illustrating the ideological generation gap between millennials and older people. De Niro and Hathaway are the main reason that the movie works and they also have a good cast to support them. Overall, “The Intern” is one of the best feel-good comedies in recent memory, and it will leave you hungry for more.
