Greetings again from the darkness. A feel-good mainstream movie featuring two big time movie stars will likely have box office success and cause a lot of people to laugh out loud. In other words, the latest from writer/director Nancy Meyers should be celebrated for its entertainment value, rather than picked apart by film critics. OK, I'll give it a try.
Robert DeNiro stars as Ben Whittaker, a retired 70 year old widower, who just can't seem to find meaning in hobbies and the leisure life. He applies and is selected for the "Senior Intern" program at About the Fit, a fast-growing online clothing company run by its founder Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). In addition to being a Type A driven and obsessed with details company leader (the type that rides her bike through the office to save time), Jules also has a husband, a young daughter and a fabulous brownstone. What she doesn't have is enough sleep, any friends, or enough time to enjoy any of the good stuff. It's quite all right if a buddy flick with DeNiro and Hathaway seems unusual to you.
At the same time Ben arrives on the scene, Jules is struggling with her investors' decision to hire a more experienced CEO so that the company can maintain its phenomenal growth. That's about as deep as the business talk ever gets (but just try to keep track of all the Apple product placements). Jules initially spurns Ben, but of course, he soon becomes invaluable around the office, and while blinking his eyes, becomes her most valued confidant and adviser.
Much of the comedy is derived from Ben's interactions with the young employees. It's quite simply a 'generation gap comedy' that makes all the points it needs to make without really breaking a sweat: senior citizens are a wealth of knowledge and can bring value to an organization or relationship, young people can learn from elders (it's OK to shave everyday and dress for success) and vice versa (computers are our friend), there still exists some animosity between stay at home moms and working moms, stay at home dads face challenges of their own, running a company is hard work both physically and mentally, communication often requires more than a text or email, and staying true to one's self is not always easy.
Ms. Meyers has brought us other mainstream films such as It's Complicated (2009) and Something's Gotta Give (2003), and she has a feel for presenting the upper-middle class as a punchline for the masses. She likes showing successful people in uncomfortable situations leaning heavy on awkward, while avoiding dangerous altogether. Her latest is a feel good movie that makes you laugh, without causing you to think about anything in your life that might bring you down. And there is real value in that.
OK, I tried, but there are some things that must be pointed out. There was so much of Ms. Meyers' script that was begging to be pushed to the edge and analyzed from a societal aspect. Her specialty is rounding off the corners so that no one gets hurt, and because of that the film is bereft of conflict the single most important element for a meaningful scene. For example, the conflict between Jules and her husband occurs in a hotel room, which would be fine except only one of them is there! Also, we never really get any of the story from Ben's perspective. Instead, we are just to believe that his Gandhi-like influence on co-workers is the only reward he seeks. I also found myself bothered a bit in the quick glimpse we get into Ben's personal life. He blows off the advances of Linda Lavin and pursues Rene Russo understandable, but a bit off-putting given that this female writer chose to have him hook up with the 11 years younger character, rather than the one closer to his own age. There are many other similar type issues that warrant discussion, but that's why it's best to just sit back and enjoy this one, rather than asking "what if?"
Robert DeNiro stars as Ben Whittaker, a retired 70 year old widower, who just can't seem to find meaning in hobbies and the leisure life. He applies and is selected for the "Senior Intern" program at About the Fit, a fast-growing online clothing company run by its founder Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). In addition to being a Type A driven and obsessed with details company leader (the type that rides her bike through the office to save time), Jules also has a husband, a young daughter and a fabulous brownstone. What she doesn't have is enough sleep, any friends, or enough time to enjoy any of the good stuff. It's quite all right if a buddy flick with DeNiro and Hathaway seems unusual to you.
At the same time Ben arrives on the scene, Jules is struggling with her investors' decision to hire a more experienced CEO so that the company can maintain its phenomenal growth. That's about as deep as the business talk ever gets (but just try to keep track of all the Apple product placements). Jules initially spurns Ben, but of course, he soon becomes invaluable around the office, and while blinking his eyes, becomes her most valued confidant and adviser.
Much of the comedy is derived from Ben's interactions with the young employees. It's quite simply a 'generation gap comedy' that makes all the points it needs to make without really breaking a sweat: senior citizens are a wealth of knowledge and can bring value to an organization or relationship, young people can learn from elders (it's OK to shave everyday and dress for success) and vice versa (computers are our friend), there still exists some animosity between stay at home moms and working moms, stay at home dads face challenges of their own, running a company is hard work both physically and mentally, communication often requires more than a text or email, and staying true to one's self is not always easy.
Ms. Meyers has brought us other mainstream films such as It's Complicated (2009) and Something's Gotta Give (2003), and she has a feel for presenting the upper-middle class as a punchline for the masses. She likes showing successful people in uncomfortable situations leaning heavy on awkward, while avoiding dangerous altogether. Her latest is a feel good movie that makes you laugh, without causing you to think about anything in your life that might bring you down. And there is real value in that.
OK, I tried, but there are some things that must be pointed out. There was so much of Ms. Meyers' script that was begging to be pushed to the edge and analyzed from a societal aspect. Her specialty is rounding off the corners so that no one gets hurt, and because of that the film is bereft of conflict the single most important element for a meaningful scene. For example, the conflict between Jules and her husband occurs in a hotel room, which would be fine except only one of them is there! Also, we never really get any of the story from Ben's perspective. Instead, we are just to believe that his Gandhi-like influence on co-workers is the only reward he seeks. I also found myself bothered a bit in the quick glimpse we get into Ben's personal life. He blows off the advances of Linda Lavin and pursues Rene Russo understandable, but a bit off-putting given that this female writer chose to have him hook up with the 11 years younger character, rather than the one closer to his own age. There are many other similar type issues that warrant discussion, but that's why it's best to just sit back and enjoy this one, rather than asking "what if?"