“Professor Xavier is an asshole!”
Swift shot: Predictable buddy comedy, but somehow very watchable, especially considering the whole film is a 119 minute Google advert. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have done better work together, and have been in funnier films, but I caught myself laughing quite a bit. And that is saying something as I have (for political reasons) stopped saying “Google it” and changed my default search engine to Bing. I was expecting to rip this film apart as one big “Google Circle jerk,” but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was entertained.
There are a few urban legends (well, facts, really) about Google HQ. They have slides, free food, nap time and expect you to self-motivate. One of the biggest myths though, is that they tend to avoid hiring older folks – and only incredibly tech-savvy people should apply. That is the assumption made by Billy McMahon (Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Wilson), two high-end watch peddlers who find themselves unceremoniously shown the door by their long-time employer played by John Goodman. With few skills marketable in this modern economy, the pair each face challenges in finding new work.
Nick winds up working for his sister’s boyfriend, played by the always hilarious Will Ferrell. And Billy ends up losing more than his job, he loses his home and his girlfriend. The buddies are a dynamic duo though, and when separated they don’t produce. One day, Billy is “Googling” for jobs ‘on-the-line’ when for some reason he decides to see what Google actually has available. Turns out there is a paid summer internship program at the HQ in San Francisco. The only real prerequisite is that you be a college student, and with not much to lose, the two friends sit down for a digital job interview that (due to their different way of approaching challenges) manages to get them into the “Noogle” program. Thing is, this is like a reality-TV show, the interns will be divided into teams, the winning team will all be guaranteed full-time jobs, the remaining teams . . . 95% of them won’t make it!
The pressure is very real for most of the kids enrolled in the program, and as you would expect, these two aren’t selected by the cool kid Graham (Max Minghella) as he declines anyone who hails from “The University of . . . ” It’s irrelevant to him after you say that, if it isn’t an Ivy League school, he doesn’t want you! Throughout the film though, I doubt anyone would want him! Minghella was in another film about the internet, The Social Network. But his character is pretty much an anti-social a-hole in this one!
Billy and Nick join a team of non-selected outcasts, led by newly minted Google Intern-Manager, Lyle (Josh Brener). [Swift aside: I told Madison I thought he looked like “The Gump” from 1985’s Legend – she thinks I am nuts!] Also joining the motley crew are Stuart (Dylan O’Brien), Neha (Tiya Sircar), and rounding out the crazies is tiger-mom raised Yo-yo (Tobit Raphael). The predictable story line is not just super obvious, even Nick jabs at the inevitable communion of the team as they first just want to ignore the two fossils who have BUPKISS technical knowledge. But what they lack in tech smarts, they eventually impart on their young team. One of my favorite scenes is when the kids send the old timers to meet a certain wheel-chair bound, bald professor. Nothing quite like being hazed by nerds!
The Internship has a lot of heart! Director Shawn Levy gives us something to aspire to achieve and reminds us that we need to provide more than just an opportunity to our graduating seniors – we need to have faith, and yes, hope. But, hope is a four-letter word if it isn’t backed by persistent practice, research and faith. As Nick tries to convince Dana, a sexy exec played by Rose Byrne that it is never to late to give up on dreams, Billy learns a lesson about faith in himself as well.
You will laugh at the odd-ball Googlieness of the team, you will root for them to win, and you will wish you worked there – let’s be honest! If someone came up to you at work and said, “nap-time,” are you gonna tell me you would balk at that? Remember being a kid and hating nap-time? Yea, kids are stupid! Sometimes they need the wisdom that only the aged folks can provide . . . experience. So, get out there and experience a little friendly behind-the-scenes buddy comedy about a company that is revolutionizing how we think, interact and, yes, even find love.
