WHAT WE THINK:
OUR SCORE:
– An enjoyable film which, subtly, tries to erode some stereotypes but maybe falls in a trap.
JUST A FEW WORDS (IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT):
The Intern is a film that perhaps falls into do-goodism, but this is (sort of) quite justified by the fact that it involves some fairytale mechanisms (the character played by De Niro is in all respects a sort of Talking Cricket).
The protagonist is a woman who created a successful business in 18 months. The themes of of forgiveness, sexism in the business industry, the concept of a working mother busy almost 24/7, these themes are never depicted as directly dysfunctional in regards to her daughter or her marriage – although the husband cheats on her and she feels guilty for it, as sociality imposes. But as the wise De Niro says, the husband has no right to be with other women just because she is busy.
We must also underline the presence of sensitive male characters who cry, ask for forgiveness or who are basically house-husband (wait…they don’t like to be called that…) and it is never used in a mocking way (except maybe for the clumsiness of some of De Niro’s colleagues, which is shown for comic purposes).
The strongest point of the film is in the fact that it does not taunt and does not intend to point the finger towards a gender or another and it doesn’t blame anyone. It’s a balanced, with pace (there’s a heist, too!) and fun film inspired by many older comedies such as those of Frank Capra and perhaps above all Howard Hawks’ (Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday) and that, once it’s over, leaves you with the feeling that all in all the world could be more human than it is.
But – yeah, there’s always a but… – on the contrary, the weakness of this film is in the fact that everything is based on a world where economy and trade are the only indicators of social success. All things considered the “power” (conjugated as feminine power as the one reached by our protagonist) doesn’t revolutionise, but rather adjusts and then rests on the standard canons of the capitalist (and therefore male oriented and built) society and no other way is ever presented.
PROS:
- Ok, the parts he’s getting are no longer those he used to get, but Robert De Niro could well be just a poster on a wall and he would still be the best actor in that film.
- Pace
- The heist sequence.
- Some moments that put a laugh on your face.
- Some moments of pure humanity.
CONS:
- Here and there some of the comedy is a bit…..simplistic.
- A certain degree of uniformity to the average in terms of audiovisual language.
- The vision of the world in the film fails to to show a different way.
What do you think of this film? Please leave a comment below and let us know!
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GENERAL INFO:
7.1
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