The Internship

The latest from the aging Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn strikes a decidedly dated chord with their humor, but they cleverly modify their modus operandi to a much more kind and tame focus. Their raucous antics aren't cool anymore, and they realize it, so they gracefully accept their forty-something role in comedy, and present a fresh look at the notorious Wedding Crashers. Written by Vaughn for the screen with a shameless Google plug in mind, and directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), I was pleasantly surprised with what I got. I was expecting more of America to fall for the buddy comedy routine, so was a bit dismayed by the lackluster box office draw, but all in all, the film is good clean fun.

Vaughn and Wilson play Nick and Billy, two old school smooth talking salesmen with next to no education or real tangible 21st century job skills. When their company goes belly up, they are forced to reluctantly re-enter the modern workforce. Struck down by every appealing option, they have the brilliant idea to enroll in the University of Phoenix and apply for the Google internship program, which for one lucky team that wins the competition, leads to a full-time job. As to be predicted, Nick and Billy end up teamed up with the misfit team. The leftovers after the cool kid draft. They have the loner who desperately wants to be accepted, the party girl who is all talk and no action, and the Asian boy with mother issues. Quite the team, and after a rocky start, they actually come together and bond in the process.

What makes this movie palatable is that Nick and Billy are genuine nice guys. There is no deception or hidden agendas. They are down on their luck forty-somethings looking for some security in their lives. As unlikeable as Vince Vaughn is, he plays what might be the gentlest role of his career. Don't get me wrong, there's still the fast-talking witticism, but it's done with kindness. Maybe his age has softened him up a little. Owen Wilson is along for the ride, as usual, and is a nice complement to Vaughn; they just seem to play off each other very naturally.

Far from believable, The Internship is more Dodgeball and less Wedding Crashers. A preposterous underdog story, but hey, you get what is being advertised. My rhetorical question is this: What company in their right mind would bring a pool of interns together, tell them to get into groups of 5, and guarantee a job to the winners of the competition? Without knowing what skills the individuals even possess? Sounds crazy to me, but Google has proven that they are on the cutting edge of creativity and innovation. Maybe that's the new way things work in the tech sector. I digress.

The Internship is good, clean fun. Not what I would expect from Vaughn and Wilson, but it's solid entertainment. Perhaps the best parts are the cameo scenes of Will Ferrell and Rob Riggle. I wish there were a few more of those as this film would have benefited from the star power. I would put this film on standby, as something to see if you're in the mood for something funny and you've already exhausted the more favorable cineplex options, or put it high on your Netflix list for a fun night a few months from now.

I've been getting tired of Vaughn and Wilson, but this film didn't suck. I gained a renewed sense of respect for them with this one. 7/10.