The Intern

Writing a review of a movie like this almost feels unfair. Before the first act is over, anybody who sees The Intern can tell, as long as they have a pulse and brain function higher than a monitor lizard, that it has no grand ambitions as a movie. It is not looking to change your life or impart a worldview. Its themes are presented and explored at the surface level, and it not only lacks the tools to go deeper, it doesn't know the tools exist, or that a deeper level is possible. The Intern is a member of a cinematic genre club most critics, and many movie-goers, turn up their noses at: a feel-good movie. A sprinkle of humor here, a touch of drama there, a reasonable amount of schmaltz, and an ending that lets you know, without even approaching the specifics of how, that everything will be alright. It is by the grace of the inexplicable and amazing chemistry between Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway that gets its head above water. These two have a wonderful spark, and fortunately for all of us, The Intern never even hints at anything but friendship and respect. Yes, it bangs the drum of a wise old man having all the answers an overworked person trying to have it all just a wee too much, De Niro and Hathaway are so charming together, I can forgive the movie being, essentially, Miyagi training Daniel for two hours and never getting to the karate tournament. Will this be for everybody? No. The description on Hulu seemed to promise more wacky antics, and "wacky" is not a word in The Intern's vocabulary. Its humor happily sits in the groove of chuckle-worthy. Likewise, there's drama (the third act is almost entirely humor-free), but it never drowns the viewer with syrupy sentimentality. This middle-of-the-road approach may leave some disappointed that the movie lacks real friction, real gut-punch humor, or real weighty drama, and that's okay if you do, but that's not a fault of the movie. It's not trying to be those things. It's not meant to be a movie with sharp bite; it's designed to be a soft nibble. If that's not your thing, you've been warned. But if you can accept that, it's a perfectly fine way to spend an evening.