'The Internship' - Movie Review

Vince Vaughn is my homeboy. If I dig Frat Pack funny-men Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller - and I do - then Vince Vaughn will go down as my alter-ego. Bruce Banner had the Hulk, Dr. Jekyll had Hyde, Tom Cruise has Scientology... and I have Vince Vaughn. 

Sure, Vince had a rough start of it (see Jurassic Park: The Lost World and the Gus Van Sant horror-ible remake of Psycho) - but everyone experiences growing pains. By the time 2004 rolled around, Vince found his freakishly tall groove. Having been around for Zoolander (2001) and Old School (2003), Vince found that he could take his 21st century jive-talking ways to the silver screen. And as Peter La Fleur and Wes Mantooth, two fantastically named dudes, he did just that. 

I don't know who this guy is but he's not my Vince Vaughn.

Yet it wasn't until Wedding Crashers and The Break-Up that Vince really became my jive-talking man crush. One could make a case that in Anchorman and Dodgeball Vince was the archetypal character whose purpose was to make the other star stand out. In Wedding Crashers, though, we bared witness to a fantastic onscreen chemistry between the two leading men: Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. 

There aren't many "chick flicks" which I'd call memorable, but I'm happy to raise my green paddle and say that The Break-Up is one. Why? Well it certainly isn't because of Jennifer Aniston... or the city of Chicago. No, it's because of Vince Vaughn... and the hilarious supporting cast!

In The Break-Up Vince watches an exorbitant amount of Sportscenter and enjoys commentating his way through a game of Madden. And if that isn't enough, he also enjoys spinning a yarn or two. I rest my case.

And now that I've finally paid homage to Vince Vaughn - and make note of the fact that I didn't mention his enjoyable cameo in Into The Wild - lets get to The Internship. 

It was a pile of stinking poop. This movie was laborious. In fact, if a bloke could go through the birthing process, and Arnie seems to think we can, then surviving this movie would be great preparation. 

As soon as it starts you get the sense that these salesmen, Billy (Vaughn) and Nick (Wilson), are "a poor man's" version of who they were in their last go round - Wedding Crashers. Vaughn co-wrote the script and one has to question if he set out to just write a (Google-ised) Wedding Crashers sequel.

Essentially the title (and the trailer) says (and shows) it all. Billy and Nick are let go from their jobs as personal salesmen and they must make the technological leap into the new age of multimedia hustle and bustle. So, where would a pair of old-school, technologically challenged salesmen go? Google. 

If this film is trying to recapture the dynamic duo's comedic brilliance in Wedding Crashers, then it has failed. What Wedding Crashers offers is confidence and charisma from two of the funnier men in the business. Their charisma  is palpable and this helps to build the suspense as they crash the mother-of-all-weddings. In The Internship we still have these charismatic men, and a half decent idea, but instead of aura and suspense we have the overly cliche story of the misfit underdogs fighting for redemption. Can Hollywood do nothing else?! 

On top of these considerable issues is... Google. Those of you who don't like product placement, even when it's done subtly, will tear your eyes out. It's more of a 2 hour advertisement than a movie... let alone an enjoyable movie. Is Google even happy with this? The happy-go-lucky work place is oozing with fake sentimentality and creative desperation. In the trailer the idea of Google looks awesome - and that's where the awesomeness ends.

Spot the Google!

Tedious, repetitive and predictable - director Shaun Levy continues to miss the mark. Big Fat Liar, Cheaper By The Dozen, Just Married, The Pink Panther, Night At The Museum, Date Night, Real Steel, and now The Internship. Sure, Levy's work can be listed under 'Light-Hearted Family Movies' - although the drunken strip club scene in this one might not thrill parents! - but there's not much in Levy's stuff which truly interests audiences. 

The supporting cast is particularly weak. The amount of stereotypical geeks is more than a Big Bang junky could bear. And, of course, they all are on a quest to redeem and reform themselves. Also, what's Rose Byrne doing in this movie? People have said her scenes with Owen Wilson are some of the best. Say what?! You could probably find her exact lines (and actions) in at least two-dozen other movies. 

They've got all the bases of geeks covered!

Not to be outdone, though, is Max Minghella, who plays everyone's worst nightmare - a strong willed, prick-Brit, who can't get a single decent line/scene. 

The funniest moment in the film comes in the form of Will Ferrell's mattress salesman. This is vintage Ferrell - he's over-the-top and vicious. His hilarious role (which is uncredited) is brief and with his departure follows the film. 

4/10