Holy product placement! In its wildest dreams Google couldn’t have imagined that it would look this good or so inviting. But I digress.
Fast-talking Vince Vaughn and laconic Owen Wilson make a formidable comic team in the genial, easy-going comedy that is “The Internship.” Directed by Shawn Levy and written by Vaughn, Jared Stern, “The Internship,” provides the comedic chemistry Vaughn and Wilson shared in “The Wedding Crashers,” but for this outing their chemistry is less frenetic and more low-key.
As salesmen for expensive watches, Billy McMahon and Nick Campbell (Vaughn and Wilson respectively) are laid off unexpectedly and pretty unsympathetically by their boss (John Goodman), who proclaims them obsolete in the digital world. In searching the Internet for new jobs, Billy comes across the Google internship program. With the bravado of a true salesman, Billy decides that he and Nick should apply. Should they be admitted into the program, they could end up with jobs at Google and be set for life. Taking a huge leap of faith, Google miraculously accepts their applications and the two are soon on their way to San Francisco and the Google campus.
At Google, the competing applicants are asked to self-choose into teams for the competition. Obviously the old, odd ducks out in a sea of young brainiacs, Billy and Nick form an alliance with a group of geeky outcasts. This is when “The Internship” really gets going. While Billy and Nick may not have the computer skill-set of the youngsters, they do have managerial smarts and tons of heart. Their team could be “The Bad News Bears” or “Damn Yankees” incarnate.
While “The Internship’s” success rests heavily on the shoulders of Vaughn and Wilson, they are abetted by a terrific supporting cast. Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show) is just plain fabulous as the severely no-nonsense, Mr. Chetty, head of the program. Josh Brenner, so annoying in the Samsung commercials, is great as Lyle, the nerdy Google employee who’s the mentor of Billy and Nick’s team. Rose Byrne, the potential love interest for Nick, and Tiya Sirca,, team member, are also quite good as are the rest of the team members. A few cameos also make their way into the movie…not distracting, they just add to the fun.
Like Billy and Nick, if you are over 30, some of the jokes may be over your head (or under, depending upon your perspective), but in a weird way, that just adds to the film’s fun. “The Internship” is not a thigh slapper, but it has tons of laughs and makes for a great day at the movies.
