(Image from Graffiti with Punctuation)
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 119 minutes (2 hours)
“The Internship” is a comedy about two sincere but IT-illiterate middle-aged men who take up an internship at Google, and compete with some of the best and brightest IT undergraduates for an eventual job at Google. It stares Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Jessica Szohr, with Will Ferrell in a minor role.
Right off the bat, you can see that I’ve used the word “Google” twice. Does anyone even remember “googol” anymore (the number that is one followed by a 100 zeros)? You can expect to see lots of Google there. I would assume that’s the premise, but I’ve read some reviews that complain about there being too much Google in it. I really don’t know what those reviewers were expecting when they watched this.
Still, it’s not the amount of Google that pulls it down, but rather the execution. Story-wise, it’s predictable, which isn’t a bad thing for a comedy. But some directorial choices are a bit suspect.
It was entertaining, but it’s not necessarily something I would recommend. So what are the bits I found entertaining?
(Image from Ace Showbiz)
Google is a character
Not in the literal sense, but in the literary sense of setting. The story takes place at Google, and it really showcases the Google complex, and reinforces the idea that this is the Google mentality, and this is what it stands for. Another way of looking at it is that this is a giant Google commercial, but it doesn’t feel that pushy to me.
I liked how Google was portrayed here.
The interns are likeable
Generally speaking, they are good-hearted misfits. They all have their own small character arcs, which oddly all got resolved when they go clubbing. That, however, is a weird message to be sending in a feel good movie – clubbing solves all your problems? Still, you can’t help rooting for them in the end.
Performance-wise, they’re still quite raw, but it’s that rawness that translates into sincerity on screen.
But then this movie isn’t quite worth a weekend jaunt. So what are the dealbreakers?
(Image from SBTV)
Not enough funnies
This is really what kills in. There’s too little comedy for this to be a comedy. There are good jokes that make me chuckle, but it doesn’t come frequently enough. I’d say there are enough laughs for a 90 minute movie, or even a 100 minute flick, but not for a film of this length.
Also, most of the funny parts are already in the trailer. Granted, that can be said of all comedies these days, but I wish they’d spend more time punching up the script or at least increasing the pace during the editing.
The main romantic relationship is horribly paedophilic
Owen Wilson plays a 40-something year old man, but due to his IT illiteracy it comes off as a 50-something year old man. No, really, if you’re in your mid 40s in a first world country, you will know how to use a webcam, otherwise it is likely that you are mentally retarded.
Rose Byrne plays a 30-year old woman, but due to imaging and her incredible savvy with technology, she comes across as being in her mid to late 20s.
Let’s do the half + 7 rule. Owen Wilson looks 50 (conservative). Rose Byrne looks 29 (again, conservative). The youngest Owen Wilson can date is 34. Rose Byrne looks nowhere near 34.
On paper, it probably looks fine – Owen Wilson is 45, Rose Byrne is 30, he can date up to 29.5, it’s really all just nice.
But Owen Wilson looks like he’s dating his daughter here. The squick factor is disgusting. I don’t even want to think about it. And let’s not forget there really are some underaged girls in the group he hangs out with (interns, remember), so it just really makes my hair stand to see this pairing.
Please, pair Owen Wilson with someone who at least looks 35 next time.
The casting of the interns
This is a good thing, I suppose, to show that Google accepts employees of every stripe. And there is no technical fault in this, politically correct or not.
But the geeks feel like stereotypes rather than real characters. The American geeks are either unbelievably socially inept or simply wear glasses, the Asian geeks are either virgin or homeschooled.
These aren’t exactly portrayed as positive traits either, and it seems to perpetuate the idea that you cannot be a normal, functioning member of society and work at Google.
“Wonder Twin powers, activate!”
The person who utters this is 24. “Super Friends” is at least 30 years old. I do not believe he knows this reference. If the person who uttered this was the 40-year-old virgin, yes it’s believable. But no, not a 24-year-old.
To put it another way, it’s like hearing a 24-year-old spout lines from the Godfather as words of advice. Nope, doesn’t work.
(Image from Ace Showbiz)
I do like “The Internship” and I do appreciate how it’s been put together (somewhat), and I like seeing Google. I like the feel that it gives me.
But it could have been a better job. Buy the DVD if it’s cheap.
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