The Intern
2.5 Waffles!

Robert De Niro stars as Ben – a 70-year old widower who has become bored with retirement. Seeking a new challenge, he decides to apply for a unique, senior internship at a hot start up, online clothing store, which is located in his Brooklyn neighborhood.

Everyone becomes so enamored with Ben he receives a plum assignment. He will be working for the company’s somewhat high strung founder, Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway).

As her life is falling apart, and she faces a decision that could impact her dream in more ways than you can imagine, Ben might be the rock Jules needs.

The Intern is a cute, charming, touchy feely movie trying too hard to be cute, charming and touchy feely.

After a super strong opening that allows the audience to fall in love with Ben and the irresistible way he is portrayed by De Niro, The Intern starts to become weighed down by a plot lacking direction and a melodramatic storyline inserted for no good reason.

It’s almost as if writer/director Nancy Meyers suddenly realized she has Hathaway on board, and she is one of those awesome actresses who knows how to cry, so let’s make sure her character has a reason to cry.

If you aren’t hoping for much, The Intern is a good movie for you. Like a comfortable shoe, it delivers everything you expect without too many surprises and moments of daring.

Ben and Jules bond over late night pizza and a mutual admiration as each teaches the other something about business and life.

Ben starts showing the boys around the office how to be men.

Jules has a super adorable little girl who steals every scene.

Even with a few extraneous sequences of capers and parties at the bar, The Intern is fun and goofy.

However, fun and goofy comes to a sudden and maddening end when Meyers injects the heaviest dose of melodrama you will find this side of The Young and The Restless. Jules faces enough drama for everyone in the audience to recognize and sympathize with, but Meyers feels the need to up the volume to 11 with an absurdly massive piling on for those who need to be hit over the head with a sledgehammer.

With some editing, The Intern could have been fantastic.

As is, it’s passable.

The Intern is rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and brief strong language.