The idea of two forty something year old men interning at a company with a bunch of nerdy teenagers may sound like a recipe for a barrel of laughs, but sadly, humor is one thing that is missing in “The Internship.”
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn – Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Billed as a comedy, the movie follows Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson), two aging salesmen with the gift of the gab whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a summer internship at Google, along with a bunch of college students. But gaining entrance is only half the battle. Once accepted, they must join a team and compete with a group of the nation’s tech-savvy geniuses to win a job at the world’s largest Internet innovator.
Owen Wilson, director Shawn Levy, and Vince Vaughn preparing for a scene on the set of The Internship – Photo Credit: Phil Bray
A rather predictable flick, their teammates consist of other fellow outcasts including a nerd called Lyle (Josh Brener), a home-schooled anxiety-riddled perfectionist called Yo-Yo (Tophit Raphael) and Neha Patel, played by Tiya Sircar, a nice girl with a deceptive naughty streak. Rounding off the cast is Rose Byrne who plays Dana Sims, a Google executive.
Owen and Vince pictured with Google teammates Josh Brener, Tophit Raphael, Neha Patel – Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Directed and produced by Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum,” “The Pink Panther”), it offers a glimpse into Google’s high-tech culture, and plays like a commercial for how great working at the company is. Instead of humor, we are shown the perks the Google Campus in Northern California offers such as free food for all its employees, saunas, nap pods, massage rooms and the list goes on.
Even a small appearance by John Goodman who plays their sales boss isn’t enough to give the movie the injection of humor it really needs.
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world – Photo Credit: Phil Bray
There are a couple of chuckles here and there, but ultimately, the humor is sporadic and if you’re expecting gut wrenching laughs especially from its two main stars you’re in for a disappointment.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film. She serves as the Entertainment Editor for Trendy Africa.
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