The Internship Review

Rated PG-13 (Sexuality, Some Crude Humor, Partying and Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 59 Minutes

Cast-

Vince Vaughn-Billy McMahon

Owen Wilson-Nick Campbell

Rose Byrne-Dana

Aasif Mandvi-Mr. Chetty

Josh Brener-Lyle

Dylan O'Brien-Stuart

Tiya Sircar-Neha

Tobit Raphael-Yo-Yo Santos

Max Minghella-Graham Hawtrey

Jessica Szohr-Marielena

Joanna Garcia Swisher-Megan

Rob Riggle-Randy

Gary Anthony Williams-Bob Williams

John Goodman-Sam

Will Ferrell-Kevin

Directed by Shawn Levy

Look at that blatant advertising!

Note: Screened on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.

 

Google. Every time I open my web browser (Mozilla Firefox for the win!), I am greeted by its primary-colored logo and that long, white rectangular box where a blinking cursor quietly awaits for me to type…something. It's hard to believe that Google didn't even exist seventeen years ago, so if a student needed to write a research paper, he or she would have to hit up the good 'ol encyclopedia. Yes, those massive tomes of knowledge that now sits at your local library collecting dust. Nowadays, the way we access information has completely changed; it is literally right at our fingertips thanks to the advent of smartphones. Growing beyond its simple search engine roots, the Google of today encompasses e-mail, social networking, productivity tools, mobile phones, and now it's the subject of a major motion picture. Shawn Levy's "The Internship" reunites Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson eight years after "Wedding Crashers," the well-received R-rated comedy that became a surprise box office success, grossing $285 million on a modest $40 million production budget. Vaughn followed that film with a string of hits ("The Break-Up," "Four Christmases," and "Couples Retreat") but things were a bit tougher on Wilson, although he did earn critical acclaim for his role on Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris." Unfortunately, both actors have been experiencing a dry spell in the last two years, with "The Dilemma," "The Watch," "Hall Pass," and "The Big Year" all tanking. The comedy landscape certainly has changed in the last eight years; just look at the poster for "This is the End" for proof. Trading R-rated raunchiness for PG-13 formula, "The Internship" manages to coast by on the genial charisma of its two leads but fails to deliver much in the way of laughs…or surprises.

Veteran watch salesmen Billy McMahon (Vince Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Owen Wilson) find themselves out of a job when their boss Sam (John Goodman) announces that his company is shutting down due to being made obsolete by smartphones. To pay the bills, Nick accepts a job selling mattresses from his sister's lecherous boyfriend Kevin (Will Ferrell) while Billy's world is turned upside down, with his house facing foreclosure and his girlfriend (Joanna Garcia Swisher) leaving him. As he searches for a new job, Billy gets a crazy idea and enrolls himself and his friend for online college courses in order to qualify for a summer internship at Google. Nick is at first reluctant but Billy's enthusiasm soon convinces him to take a leap of faith. Arriving at Google's headquarters in San Francisco, Billy and Nick are quickly overwhelmed by this technological wonderland as they vie for a limited number of coveted positions against a sea of tech-savvy twenty-somethings. Nick also becomes enamored with a high-powered Google executive named Dana (Rose Byrne). The head of the internship program, Mr. Chetty (Aasif Mandvi), breaks up all the interns into small groups and reveals that the team who wins the most challenges will be offered permanent positions at Google. Billy and Nick are joined with a nerdy band of misfits that includes the ever-cynical Stuart (Dylan O'Brien), the sex-obsessed Neha (Tiya Sircar), home-schooled Yo-Yo Santos (Tobit Raphael), and their cheerful team leader Lyle (Josh Brener). Directly competing with the mean-spirited Graham Hawtrey (Max Minghella), Billy and Nick discover that they're out of their depth but they soldier on as they try to prove that a couple of analog dinosaurs like themselves can still be relevant in a digital world.

Thoroughly mediocre, "The Internship" nonetheless exhibits a pleasant enough charm but don't expect much in the way of laughs or originality. Written by Vince Vaughn himself (with an assist from Jared Stern), the Shawn Levy-directed feature is inoffensive to a fault and desperate to please. A scene where the characters relate to each other with their shared struggle for employment is quickly swept under the rug lest the tone get too dour. Equal parts buddy comedy, a fish-out-of-water tale, and an underdog story, the film is just one cliché after another and is completely formulaic, making for a rather bland viewing experience. Many of the jokes poke fun at Billy and Nick's inexperience with those 'newfangled compooters,' such as missaying 'online' as 'on the line' and how out-of-touch they are with modern pop culture. In an attempt to come off as 'geeky,' a number of references to "Harry Potter" (there's a game of Quidditch), "X-Men," "Game of Thrones," "Star Wars," cosplay, and even hentai are haphazardly thrown in but none of it is particularly clever nor funny. The only time where the film manages to earn a few chuckles is when Billy and Nick take the team out to a strip club, where Yo-Yo (who makes these names up?!) repeatedly ejaculates in his pants during lap dances. Unfortunately, even this scene is problematic due to the sloppy editing in order to preserve the PG-13 rating.

The characters themselves are little more than stereotypes. Lyle is supposed to be awkward and endearing but instead comes off as unbearably annoying in his desperate attempts to sound 'cool.' Stuart is the typical introverted hipster who thinks he's above 'everything' while Neha, to quote fellow critic James Berardinelli, is 'every geek's dream girl; I'm not sure someone like her really exists.' Finally, there's Yo-Yo and thanks to people like Amy Chua, Hollywood continues to cling to the tired belief that every Asian child grows up in an authoritarian household. Making matters worse is the story's staleness and its rote adherence to formula. There is no drama or tension to be found because the team's eventual victory is never in any doubt, even when it tries otherwise. You know they'll win and you know that Nick will get the girl. This is not even a spoiler! Of course, Billy and Nick impart some life lessons to their young cohorts, instilling them with confidence with a gaggle of "Flashdance" references. These moments are admittedly charming and it's hard to completely hate "The Internship" when it's so earnestly optimistic despite the lazy screenplay. A major point of contention among critics has been Google's prominence in the film, with many accusing it of being a glorified two-hour commercial for the corporation. I actually disagree on this area as I found the use of Google's headquarters as the main setting to be rather clever and grounded the story with the real-world. Yes, it's treated as some technological Shangri-La but the only real disappointment is Vaughn and Stern's failure to fully capitalize on their unique location.

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson almost single-handedly save the film, the keyword being 'almost.' The weak material handicaps them and they're typecast into their roles but the two continue to make for a fun and charismatic duo, with Vaughn's loud-mouthed, fast-talking persona complementing Wilson's laid back, aw-shucks demeanor. The younger cast members, which includes Josh Brener, Dylan O'Brien, Tiya Sircar, Tobit Raphael, and Max Minghella, don't fare as well and are trapped in one-note, thinly-written roles. The beautiful Rose Byrne is fine as the token love interest while Aasif Mandvi plays one of the few consistently amusing characters (the other being Josh Gad). His continued doubt with Billy and Nick's abilities manages to muster up a couple of laughs.

Released on June 7, 2013, "The Internship" has received largely negative reviews with 32% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the film to be weighed down by its 'formulaic script and padded running time that leans heavily on its stars' easygoing interplay.' Curiously, the reaction at Thursday's advance screening was the complete opposite. While I was sitting there stone-faced, almost everyone around me was laughing their butts off. It honestly left me puzzled. 20th Century Fox has been screening the film quite aggressively but it's unlikely to be a box office hit. Early estimates are pegging it for a low-$20 million weekend debut, which exceeds initial studio expectations. The film is harmless fluff but it doesn't change the fact that "The Internship" is a mediocre, bland, and tepid comedy bereft of laughs. You're better off skipping it and waiting for "Man of Steel."

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

"We're looking at some sort of mental Hunger Games against a bunch of genius kids for just like a handful of jobs."