If you are following this blog, you'll notice I just posted a review of "The Heat" where I criticized it for being quite formulaic. I won't make any excuses for "The Internship," since it too is very formulaic. But the key difference between "The Heat" and "The Internship" is that the latter is actually pretty funny, and enjoyable. And it's strange--I expected the movie to suck because the gags in the trailer are all really sort of lame (the Professor Xavier part excluded)--callbacks to Flashdance, Terminator, etc. But the joke, it appears, is on us, because the jokes for the movie actually come in spades, and the result is pleasantly surprising. It's possible that my level of enjoyment for the movie is the result of lowered expectations, but based on the audience reaction, I don't think it's just me. And I'm pretty grateful for that.
The premise of the movie: Nick (Owen Wilson) and Billy (Vince Vaughn) are the best sales team for a dying watch company. When their company goes belly-up, the two are left without jobs, but with loads of debt. Billy then comes up with the idea for him and Nick to apply for internship positions at Google, that could potentially lead to jobs and brighter futures for the both of them. The problem, of course, is that they know nothing about modern-day technology, coding, or social sharing as their competition would. They apply, get into the program due to the support of 2 senior votes with the Google application senior team, and are paired up with a ragtag group of brilliant but awkward misfits to compete for permanent positions against several groups of other tech-genius interns.
The movie plays a lot like your typical underdog story, in the vein of classics like Animal House, Stripes, or Dodgeball (only not as absurd as the latter), or TV shows like Community. Now, don't expect anything original. And if your gut feeling when initially watching the movie allows you to predict what's going to happen next and how it will end, your feeling will most likely be correct. But c'mon. If you're watching this movie, much like Wedding Crashers, the appeal is not the story, but the comedy. So take that into consideration when debating about paying for your ticket. The overall story isn't that bad--it's still enjoyable and worth investing your time in because the actors make you care about these misfits, but don't expect anything complex, obviously.
Lucky for us, the magic we saw between Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in 2005's "Wedding Crashers" has not changed one bit! Their chemistry is the anchor of this movie. This comedic duo is reunited and the energy just flies, never feeling stale or overdone. We are engaged in their stories and the characters, no matter how cheesy or predictable the movie can get at times, because of what this tag team brings to the table. Vaughn's over-abundance of energy blends so well with Wilson's charming laid back attitude, and when the two banter, they just play off each other so well, that everything they say or do is just goofy, funny, and entertaining. Some of the best scenes include their initial interview, a scene where they take their misfit team of interns clubbing, and a Quidditch game in the middle of the Google campus.
Surprisingly enough, however, they are not alone, as they're joined by newcomers Dylan O'Brien (MTV's Teen Wolf), Josh Brenner (The Big Bang Theory), Tobit Raphael, and Tiya Sircar (The Vampire Diaries). Together with Vaughn and Wilson, they make up your pretty stereotypical group of underdogs to root for, ala Mighty Ducks, School of Rock. The result may be trite here and there, but it's ultimately funny as the kinetic energy of Vaughn and Wilson mesh very well with characters that find their hyperactive display both grating and endearing. And for many of them, as their first real film, they come across pretty well. It's unfortunate their characters aren't very complex, but the actors still manage to give them separate personalities, making each character stand out and become uniquely memorable. That much can be appreciated. Opposing our underdogs is the group's main boss (Aasif Mandvi from The Last Airbender, providing a very stern business expression at all times), and a group of pretentious Ivy League tech geniuses led by an ambitious slimeball (a smarmy Max Minghella from The Social Network).
There are also some fun roles from Rose Byrne (Damages), playing a Google senior manager and romantic interest for Wilson, and Josh Gad (Book of Mormon) playing a fellow worker who helps Vaughn's character learn about tech support later in the film. Circling back to Byrne's character, she and Owen Wilson have very natural chemistry--moreso than Wilson and Rachel McAdams from Wedding Crashers, in fact--so it's believable that she'd have an excellent time going on "10 bad dates" with Nick halfway through the movie. It also makes it easier to become more invested in this particular romantic subplot. Gad on the other hand, only really gets 2-3 scenes, but they eventually become critical as the movie continues to play out.
And you basically know how a movie like this is going to play out, but that's okay. You're just in it to enjoy the comedy and the warmth of an underdog movie. So the moment the opening credits hit, and you see and hear Vaughn and Wilson singing Alanis Morresette's "Ironic" as part of their "Get Psyched" mix, you can't help but smile and feel comfortable from the get-go with how this is going to turn out. It's something we feel good revisiting, down to another welcome cameo from a fellow Crasher/frat pack member/"news anchor". The jokes come flying at the expense of Vaughn and Wilson's characters, thanks to a funny script by Vaughn, himself, and co-writer Jared Stern. The direction is reasonably conventional, being done by generic director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum series, Date Night, Real Steel). But at least, Levy, if nothing else, lets Vaughn and Wilson do their schtick without interrupting, and the 2 stars go at it confidently.
The more disappointing part of the movie is how pandering it is as a Google commercial. Naturally, the company provides an effective backdrop for the story and our heroes to utilize, but you also end up hearing about every product and software Google has created since it's inception at least once, and always in a positive light. It's a little bit of a manipulative way to show everyone how wonderful Google is, but it's honestly not a deal breaker.
And that's because the second you see Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson chasing after a gold-spandex clad version of a Golden Snitch with a tennis ball dangling from between his legs, you don't seem to care that this is an advertisement, and start recognizing the movie for what it is--a light, fun, breezy, energetic comedy that will make you laugh. And frankly, so far, it's the best comedy film of the summer (given how terrible "Hangover III" was supposed to be, and how mediocre and unfunny "The Heat" was), at least before "This is the End" comes out. Welcome back Crashers.
Overall Rating: B+
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