MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Nancy Meyers
Run Time: 121 Minutes
It’s time for men to put a moratorium on being hypercritical of films directed at women. There’s this feeling of vitriol directed at films like this whenever they come out, regardless of content. This is exacerbated when those films are directed by women (Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey). Often these films are criticized for beings generic rehashes of the same ragged material, while Marvel and more masculine entertainment get a pass from critics when they ape blockbusters of old. Even when these films occasionally subtly subvert expectations, they are often dismissed by critics as mediocrities. It’s an ugly, cynical bias based entirely on gender.
Nancy Meyers is, by now, probably no stranger to this world, but she’s managed to be one of the few female directors who has somehow carved out her own place in Hollywood. Since The Parent Trap in ’98, Meyers has found success with audiences (and, to a lesser extent, critics) who have embraced the optimistic nature of her films, despite their rather low-grade aesthetical qualities, and a propensity for happy endings that can border on the absurd. And yet, some of these films have an endearing, infectious quality. The Parent Trap was still, 17 years later the best distillation of Meyers’s simplistic but effective formula. With The Intern, Meyers finally recaptures the magic she did in her debut film, and despite some silliness and a couple slight missteps, sidesteps the expected narrative for a film of this kind.
For a few years, Ben (De Niro) has managed to avoid most of the boredom and lack of purpose that comes with retirement. He’s done everything possible to distract himself — except go back to work. When Ben sees an advertisement for an up and coming clothing shipment company, run by Jules, who started her company from the ground floor and has worked tirelessly to ensure its growth — sacrificing time she might normally spend with her husband and daughter to run the business. When Ben is hired as Jules’s personal senior intern (much to the chagrin of the latter), neither could have expected the friendship that would blossom from their pairing.
One could never accuse Meyers’ films of having high stakes. They’re usually outlets for great actors to give laid back performances, and here it pays off in spades. De Niro is at his most relaxed in years, giving, if not a great performance, genuinely funny, subdued work. Hathaway is even better, freed from the constraints of overwrought, Oscar-y melodrama and returning to her charismatic, casual roots. The former serves as a great foil for the latter’s comedic chops. If anything, De Niro’s character is in need of more personality, suffering from underwriting while the characters around him are given more distinct personalities. Still, Meyers should be commended for creating such an astutely examined, positive portrayal of a male-female platonic relationship, never pushing for any unnecessary, awkward sexual tension between its leads.
The Intern has, thus far, garnered acclaim for its brand of feminism, and while that aspect has been over-hyped to some extent (Meyers’ understanding of postured masculinity, or lack thereof, is frustrating), there is something to be said for a film which fully endorses the plight of the working mother, mining drama from the frustrations that come from living in an inherently biased world. What was merely a footnote is treated as worthy of celebration in the film’s final act. And while The Intern never digs further to find what causes these problems, or treats them with the urgency one might expect, Meyers’ light touch and heart on sleeve dialogue makes this more broadly appealing, and will, perhaps, bring an important message to an audience unlikely to seek out art promoting gender equality. And while The Intern may be broad, it is full of joy. That’s an achievement worthy of acclaim, even in its slightest form.
