REVIEW: THE INTERNSHIP

I am a big fan of the director for the film in this review. At a relatively young age, he has racked up an impressive number of films under his direction. The director's name is Shawn Levy. Some of his impressive string of films include; both Night at the Museum films (2006 & 2008), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Pink Panther (2006), Date Night (2010), and Real Steel (2011). His latest effort is another comedy titled The Internship.

The Internship stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in the lead roles. This film reunites Vaughn and Wilson who both starred in Wedding Crashers (2005). The film is co-written by Vaughn himself and Jared Stern. The supporting cast consists of Rose Byrne, Max Minghella, John Goodman, and many more.

Will The Internship tickle my funny bone? Do read on...



Billy McMahon (Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Wilson) after losing their jobs

SYNOPSIS:
After being laid off from their employment, Billy McMahon (Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Wilson) who are in their late 30s, tries desperately to find a new job but to no avail. They both decided to try for an internship at Google, a web search engine company in Northern California. Despite the oddity of the internship being a non-paying job, they both try to fit in and overcome challenges especially concerning age gaps.

SCRIPT:
It is an interesting and original idea for starters but the structure of the storyline is very predictable. There were several good moments that were laugh-out-loud funny but not enough to sustain interest in the film. Characterization of lead and supporting cast members were fairly done. There were a lot of ad-libs done by Vaughn and Wilson. However, I liked the notion of exploring age gap at a work place.

McMahon (Vaughn) and Campbell (Wilson) at their internship in Google

ACTING:
Nothing too fancy and no actors overshined. The only consolation is seeing good chemistry between Vaughn and Wilson which has been established before in Wedding Crashers. Nice to see new and upcoming actors introduced in the film. Rose Byrne speaks in her native Australian accent is a plus point.

McMahon (Vaughn) and Campbell (Wilson) at orientation

FILMING:
This is not Shawn Levy's best work. The shots were okay and nothing to shout about. The editing was a bit weak. I felt that Levy tried to save the film from a mediocre script but couldn't make it interesting enough. No visual effects in this film.

Director Shawn Levy on the set of the film

PACING:
Just enough for a comedy. Not too draggy and well-place laughter through-out.

TONE (MOOD):
A slightly slapstick comedy that borderlines between adult and teenage humour.

McMahon (Vaughn) and Campbell (Wilson) with a group of misfits sharing a scene.

DOWNSIDE:
Predictable storyline and the usual formula for certain comedies.

UPSIDE:
Good underline theme of over-coming the odds and some very funny moments.

McMahon (Vaughn) and Campbell (Wilson) walking the halls of Google.

OVERALL:
A light-hearted comedy that lack strength in script but has enough laughs for fun.

RATING:
6 out of 10