Project 52: 'The Internship'

Posted Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 7:15 AM Central
Last updated Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 9:15 AM Central

by John Couture

Ever since Wedding Crashers debuted, everyone has been demanding a sequel. I'm not exactly sure why we haven't seen a sequel yet as this film is ripe material for one and it's not like Hollywood to pass up a surefire sequel opportunity.

If they have passed on a sequel for the sake of preserving the story, then bravo, otherwise, I'm shocked. This film is as close as we'll get for some time.

So, why are we dallying around? Let's get right to it, shall we?

The Internship

I thoroughly enjoyed Wedding Crashers, but I must admit that I haven't really been blown by Vince Vaughn or Owen Wilson's solo work since then. Vaughn, in particular, has really sort of just taken any project that has come his way leading to predictable results.

While Owen's choices have been better, and I really enjoyed Midnight in Paris, he still has not lived up to his potential either. So, that's a nice way of saying that when I sat down to watch this film, my bar was set extremely low.

That being said, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the film given the many negative reviews out there. It's not rocket science and it really reminded me of the classic fish out of water comedies that we grew up with in the '80s.

To give some background, Vaughn and Wilson are 30-something salesmen who are great at what they do, but suddenly find themselves unemployed when their slimy boss (played nicely by John Goodman) decides to close up shop without telling them. Now, without a job and very little marketable skills in a the computer/social media world that has passed them by, the pair decide to apply for an internship at Google.

Once there, you guessed it. The pair of unlikely interns find themselves surrounded by the best and brightest college students who are half their age and are convinced that if they don't get a job at Google, their lives will end. OMG!

As expected, the pair teams up with the outcast group and true to form they overcome all odds to claim victory in some sort of Google internship challenge that guarantees them jobs at Google when they graduate.

Now, the film is anything but perfect, but it does manage to keep your attention and provide plenty of laughs. There are a few odd story tangents that I could have done without and I have a feeling there were a few re-shoots as one particular scene in the trailer involving ping pong is no where to be seen in the film. All of that said, the film is still a fun ride filled with plenty of laughs.

One scene in particular that stood out for me was the Quidditch competition. I do believe that this is the first time that we've seen the Wizard game outside of Harry Potter and it's played perfectly. Naturally, Vaughn and Wilson have no clue about Harry Potter, but their natural athletic prowess allows them to learn quickly.

If it stands up to repeat viewings remains to be seen, but it certainly satisfies on the first watch. I can't believe it, but I'm actually giving it a Straight.