Review of The Intern

The Intern (I) (2015)
7/10
Sweet, sensitive, thoughtful movie - so much better than I expected
19 August 2016
A retired 70-year-old widower, Ben (played by Robert De Niro), is bored with retired life. He applies to a be a senior intern at an online fashion retailer and gets the position. The founder of the company is Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway), a tireless, driven, demanding, dynamic workaholic. Ben is made her intern, but this is a nominal role - she doesn't intend to give him work and it is just window dressing. However, Ben proves to be quite useful and, more than that, a source of support and wisdom.

Good, and surprisingly so. I was expecting a farcical half-baked comedy about how an old guy rejoins the work force and struggles with modern gadgets and work processes. There are a few examples of that but the movie is far more than a story about generational differences. It's more a drama than a comedy, and is a good one too. There's themes of generational wisdom, not judging people by their age (or anything superficial) and making the most of people's talents. It's also a movie about starting over, and doing what you enjoy.

Moreover, it's simply a nice story.

Solid work by Robert De Niro in the lead role. He doesn't do bad performances, but that hasn't stopped him in the past from taking on roles and movies that are well below his standards. This is not one of those roles or movies. Sensitively played, and ideal for the role.

Good work too by Anne Hathaway, who is very convincing as the go- getting entrepreneur.
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