Get Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson into a room together and something magical happens. The two actors somehow form into a comedic juggernaut that is in many ways more than the sum of its collective parts.
It happened in Wedding Crashers, and the pair, who had not worked together since the smash hit in 2005, try to recreate that magic once again in Fox’s The Internship, which opens Friday.
In the new movie, Vaughn and Wilson play Billy and Nick, two bonafide closers in the watch selling game, who find out their jobs are gone when the company closes. Seeking to start over and live out their dreams, they become the oldest entrants into a hypercompetitive internship program at Google.
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Here’s five things you need to know about the movie:
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1. The chemistry is there – again.
Maybe you’ve tired of the formula Vaughn and Wilson use – Wilson’s straight man with a big heart playing opposite Vaughn’s overcaffeinated idea machine. But it just works. Vaughn’s non-stop chattering sucks you in, and shortly you start to believe the nonsense. And Wilson’s sheepdog modesty, while a bit infuriating at times, is nonetheless inviting and engaging.
2. There’s a villain. And he’s a giant D-bag.
In this case, it’s British Actor Max Minghella. As the team leader for the self-appointed “cool kids,” Minghella’s portayal of Stewart is punchworthy. He’s just mean. And arrogant. And entitled. And a little pansyish. And not all that attractive, I’m not afraid to say. He just has a face you want to punch. I’m sure in real life he’s a great guy. But, again, I want to punch him.
3. Guess what? The band of misfits come out victorious.
It’s a trope that is will never change, and that will never really be appealing either. But Billy and Nick, after being thrown into a group with three "loser" genius kids – one self loathing, one uber cynical, one who hides her shyness with overt sexuality – come together to accomplish what no one else thought they could. Again, they’re not breaking new ground here.
4. The Internship has more substance than “Crashers.”
Billy and Nick are representations of shattered realities. But in those realities, their journey at self-discovery and trying to re-invent themselves in today’s often crippling economy is a pretty rewarding ride. Albeit, a savagely naïve one. The cynicism delivered by the college kids in the movie is also enlightening, especially to some older adults who have no idea how hard it is for college graduates to find jobs in America right now.
And while the self-discovery and growing and learning is slapped on so thick that it almost slathers down the screen, it’s fine given the context of the plot.
5. So, where is this internship again?
The Google “product placement” cannot be ignored. Some have called the movie a two-hour commercial for the tech giant. And while that conceit is somewhat valid, in the end, those people can shove it. This isn’t a docudrama, people.
This is a comedic movie, with plenty of laughs (their real-time video interview with the Google hiring team is altogether hilarious), from start to finish. And while some of the jokes are stale and seem like they would have been funnier three years ago, Vaughn and Wilson are at their best when they are the slick talking, wise crackin' duo that have won our hearts before.
Rated PG-13. 119 minutes.
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