Nancy Meyers’ The Intern is a heartwarming yet atypical romantic comedy focusing on the delightful friendship between a “Senior Intern” and a young CEO. Listen to Michael and I discuss the film on an episode of the War Machine vs. War Horse Podcast!
Thanks to New York Women in Film and Television (more on that another time!) I was invited to a screening of The Intern and then Michael from War Machine vs. War Horse invited me to chat about the film on his show.
I really enjoyed this film. I thought it was light and fun which is necessary with all the science fiction, fantasy, and superhero films that try very hard to be genre hydras. It was uncomplicated and reminded me of 90s films.
Nancy Meyers’ The Intern was pretty relatable for me in a few aspects: work, family, and personality.
WORK
The main character is a young startup CEO. She created a site that then really took off and now she has a team full of people to manage and a company to continue to develop. Clearly, it’s not directly related to me, but I can understand her passion, obsession, and hardships. I can also understand how managing a team and retaining the ability to create a product you like can be difficult.
FAMILY
As I’ve probably mentioned a few times, my parents are much older than most of my peers’ parents. They are over 40 years older than me and since I live with them I really notice how they are aging. I really recognized my father in Robert Deniro’s portrayal of Ben Whitaker.
As I mentioned in an episode that will come out soon (Tig) I’m a little more sensitive about parental stories than most probably. I cried hard each of the 3 times I saw Brave and bawl watching the Thank You Mom commercial. I actually like “old people” movies like I’ll See You in My Dreams which I saw this summer (mostly for Martin Starr who I fell in love with in Freaks and Geeks and Silicon Valley). This movie hit all my “senior citizen story” expectations.
PERSONALITY
The scene I enjoyed most was between Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway) and Ben early in the film. Jules wants to have Ben reassigned because he is “too observant.” Almost every supervisor I’ve had was uncomfortable with this quality, as well. Is the trick to keeping your boss happy playing dumb? Is it better not to be “too good” at your job so your boss doesn’t feel intimidated?
Having been on both sides of the table as a “too observant” employee and the supervisor of “too observant” employees, I can say I appreciated being the supervisor more than the employee since egos are fragile. It’s tough to be in charge! You’re supposed to have the answers and are expected to please everyone. When you ask for help most don’t respond, but when you make decisions most will complain. Though an ego is a band-aid that cowards allow to be fed. If you’re ever in charge make sure you work to remove your ego and retain your self-confidence. Remember, insecurity is loud, confidence is silent.
A “too observant” employee is a godsend. I can happily say I have several team members who are observant, vocal, and become change makers for Common Room and it is WONDERFUL. I’m so grateful. Anyhoo, it was really nice to see that reflected in the film and spoiler alert, Jules regrets her request and recognizes the benefit of Ben as part of her team. She discards her insecurity and succeeds because of it. Too preachy? ;)
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON NANCY MEYERS’ THE INTERN?
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