The Intern Review: Sexist Feel-Good Movie

The Intern is a reverse image of The Devil Wears Prada, with Anne Hathaway now the one who’s throwing the coat at an eager intern.

The movie is mainly bolstered by its cast. Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway have this odd yet charming chemistry on screen. The supporting cast is amusing enough.

The cinematography is bright and chipper while the production design is detailed. It’s an expensive homogeneous world but consistent and eye-catching.

As we take a look at the rest of the movie, however, it’s clear that The Intern is a sexist feel-good movie devoid of any nuance.

The Intern teaches us that a female business owner can only be saved by an old white man because she can’t get support on her own and from her peers. He’s too old school cool to fit in today’s hipster workplace and leads a caper to prove it. In one tirade by Jules, even the guys of today’s generation couldn’t compare to the gentlemen of the previous like Jack Nicholson, which ironically makes this drunk moment true enough.

Ben Whittaker is unflinchingly sunny, chipper, and eager to work for a female boss. The rest of the cast are all contained in their cookie-cutter mold, including the band of misfits, the sassy gay friend, the female love interest, and the adorable supportive family.

They all function in their assigned roles to prop up Ben in a predictable plot. This includes the underused Rene Russo, whose character solely exists to remove the icky romantic angle of the leads’ dynamic. Ben eventually turns from a neglected intern to a mentor, best friend, chauffeur, and marriage counselor.

Towards the end, the audience is subjected to a cringe-inducing dialogue between Jules and her husband. The movie wraps up with a Hollywood ending, where the white version of the magical negro saves the woman trying to Have it All.

The Intern could have taken a look at a timely issue of ageism in the workplace, especially now as technology continues to play a role in business. Instead, it prefers to make tired jokes about computers and teaches women to lean in using a man.