The Intern is a new movie by Nancy Meyers starring Anne Hathaway and Robert de Niro. Meyers has made some of the movies I have the fondest memories of – The Parent Trap, What Women Want and Baby Boom. And when I saw the trailer for The Intern, I knew I would love it and indeed I did, but let’s look better into it.
The story
70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker (Robert de Niro) has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior (literally) intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway).
Ben develops a romantic relationship with the in-house massage therapist, Fiona (Rene Russo), and becomes something of a father figure to the younger workers. Ben also gets to know Jules’ family. Her husband, Matt (Anders Holm), gave up his own successful career to be a stay-at-home dad to their daughter, Paige, when About The Fit started to take off. However, their marriage is slowly breaking apart over Jules’s long hours, mainly caused by her very hands-on management style.
Meanwhile, Jules is under pressure to give up her post of CEO to someone outside of the company as her investors feel that she is unable to cope with the workload, having grown About The Fit from a startup founded in her kitchen to a 220-employee juggernaut in only eighteen months. Believing it will give her more time at home with her family, and fix any marital issues, Jules is willing to consider the offer. While driving Paige home from a party, Ben discovers that Matt is having an affair with another parent at Paige’s school. While on a business trip in San Francisco to interview a potential CEO candidate, Jules reveals that she knows about Matt’s cheating as well.
Review
If you’ve seen the trailer, from this post or before, I can assure you it’s not a deceiving one and the movie is exactly what it promised to be; It’s a light comedy with a hint of romance and real life thrown in. I personally felt very emotional in this movie, because I felt connected to the young and struggling character.
I found it realistic in the aspects that 1. an affair will not always break a marriage off. 2. That a business woman does have a lot to juggle on her plate + suffer the judgement from stay at home moms (and honestly, vice versa).
It’s 2015, are we really still critical of working moms? – Jules
As inspiring as this movie was I do have to concede that it was sexist in many ways and not a 100% femenist movie like it says. Jules have very superficial relationships in her workplace, a bad relationship with her mother and no time with her family. And who helps her deal with all that? Ben. The real man there, according to Jules. Not a boy like other youngsters, no, a real man. Hmmm.
“How did men in one generation go from Jack Nicholson and Harrison Ford to this….?” – Jules
But Ben is adorable, he is a true father figure in the workplace and he gives very lifting sound advice. I never thought I’d see Robert de Niro playing a character like this but I’m glad he did! I don’t have to say his acting was on point, right?
You should feel nothing but great about what you’ve done, and I’d hate to see you let anyone take that away from you. – Ben
I was annoyed by the portrayal of Jules reationship with her mother, shown by very odd and short phone calls in her car that seemed completely random. It was totally unnecessary and plain weird to be honest. Plus, just to add up to the plate of the young successful woman she needs to have issues with her mother as well!
Another thing, it takes us a long time to find out Jules is married. Which is fine, we are watching the movie by the stand point of Ben, and when he drives her home he sees her being welcomed by her daughter and husband. And this gave an interesting effect to it too! She is so busy every minute of the day that it makes sense that it isn’t obvious she has a family. She doesn’t have time for them! Now, I personally think they should’ve cast someone else for her husband, not only was it an odd non-convincing couple (I wasn’t sure he was her huusband at first!) but also the “romantic” let’s-save-our-marriage ending did not do it for me.
About it being a feminist movie… Well, if you look at Nancy’s other movies, they aren’t feminist either, most big changes are caused by men, so it shouldn’t be surprising. Like a reviewer said; It’s a sexist movie wearing women’s cothing. So if you think you will be offended by it, I say just watch something else! Otherwise, this movie is great and extremely pleasurable.
Did you see it? Will you?
XO,
