Review: The Internship

Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, John Goodman, Rose Byrne
Director: Shaun Levy

In a few words...: Vaughn and Wilson back together...adrift as interns at Google
 
Rating: 7/10

Beware: SPOILERS AHEAD

Much has been made of the new Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedy, thanks to most of the events of the film taking place on the Google campus in Northern California. People have accused it of being basically two hours of infomercial for the internet giant, and whilst there is a great deal of content focusing on the Google brand, it doesn't come off as being a shameless grab for publicity. Google is there, a part of the narrative, but never, in my opinion, is it shoved down your throat like an annoying infomercial.

What you get is a surprisingly funny film. Wilson and Vaughn, whose last collaboration "Wedding Crashers" was fantastic, have rebounded each from some questionable outings, proving, perhaps, that they are best paired together. Their chemistry is certainly there for all to see. They play off each other well, and you can't help but want to cheer for their two characters.

Basically, it's your fish-out-of-water scenario comedy, but done well. As two door-to-door salesman whose company closes down, Billy (Vaughn) and Nick (Wilson) are forced to look to something else in life, and they manage to secure an internship at Google. Put into a team with a group of misfits, they must win a series of challenges to be made full-time employees.

The Google campus is a fascinating place, with slippery dips and sleeping pods, and it's a good background as the two old guys get paired up with young misfits and learn, somehow, the Google world...whilst, at the same time, they try to teach their young chargers about real life, away from computers and mobile phones.On the side, is the Google employee Dana (Australia's very own Rose Byrne, who looks great) who catches Nick's eye - the typical romance ensues, but we all expected that - and there's the leader of the "bad guys", posh English genius Graham (Max Minghella) who is suitably smarmy in trying to trip up Billy and Nick's crew. It all adds up to a good fun film, with some great eighties reference, particularly the Flashdance-inspired rev-up speech. There's a great scene in a questionable "dance club" near the middle and, before that, you get a good laugh out of the X-Men/Professor Xavier sequence at Stanford University.
 
As far as these films go, this one is strangely endearing, with most of the jokes stemming from the lead characters' obvious lack of intelligence when it comes to the internet and their 80's roots, which baffle - humorously so - their younger cohorts. Great turns by Will Ferrell as the manager of the mattress shop where Nick was working, and by rising star/funny man Rob Riggle, as a salesman at a nursing home, though his character was rather disturbing. Can't forget Aasif Madvi as Mr Chetty, the Google employee you want to hate but can't quite manage to do so.

Certainly not going to win an Oscar, but as a good film to enjoy without having to think too much, this is right up there. It's a return to form for Wilson and Vaughn, and an interesting look into the world of Google.