The Internship

The Internship is a 2013 comedy film featuring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Immediately you think of 2005's Wedding Crashers when these two names get paired together. While this movie is certainly no Wedding Crashers, it delivers a heart-warming life lesson to all us who rely too much on technology and social media.

******Spoilers ahead******

The story revolves around two middle aged men who are too old for the new technological world, but still too young to retire and not look back. When they get laid off from their company due to a heavy demand in electronic sales, they are forced to adapt to change. They apply for an internship with Google, a search engine that has literally changed the way we look for information.

While it is comedic when the two men interview with Google via video conferencing, it goes to show how out of date they really are. Obviously they get the job and make their to Google. 

The film is your average comedy where a protagonist hits rock bottom in the beginning, goes off to do the impossible, hits rock bottom again and decides to give up, gets an epiphany to carry on, and complete the task resulting in a landslide victory. We've seen this movie before right? While I am disappointed this story failed to deliver something fresh, something original, I applaud the messages it delivered.

Today, we rely way too much on Facebook, cell phones, Instagram, hash tags, and even Google. We live in a world where, myself included, can fall in the trap of looking down at your phones and not seeing what's around you. While Vince and Owen's characters need the young interns to help them adapt to the technology, the kids need them to help them enjoy life the way it was meant to be enjoyed. After some comedic moments, the two groups become close and each them learn a valuable life lesson.

The movie features your stereotypical technology nerds who are extremely book smart but have no social skills. There's even a scene where they play Quidditch (quite funny) and the kids have to help the two men understand Harry Potter.

I enjoyed this story because it focuses on what it's like to work hard, but to also have fun at the same time. It also shows how scary change can be for people which in my opinion is a critical thing we deal with and can relate with. While the film did not have me roll on the floor laughing, I was moved by the thematic elements and appreciate the points they made. While we might be so well connected thanks to technology, we are so far apart at the same time. It takes people from different generations to fill those gaps.

My recommendation: Go see it. You'll laugh but mostly you'll appreciate the heartwarming story.

Rating: B