The Intern: Review

"The Intern" starring Ann Hathaway and Robert DeNiro is the story of Ben Whittaker (DeNiro) who after retirement decides he needs "to fill the hole in his heart." Ben decides upon find an ad, to apply for a job as an intern e-commerce company that was founded and started by Jules Ostin (Hathaway). Whittaker is hired because the company has decided to start a program for Senior Citizens that allows them to have entry level jobs and contribute their experience. DeNiro immediately stands out in his debonair suite and his can do attitude. The entire office and even Mrs. Ostin grows to love him.

The film like many of Nancy Meyer's previous films "The Holiday," "It's Complicated," and "Something's Gotta Give" all have charm, class, and comedy rolled into one. Each presents a moral problem that is resolved by the end, "The Holiday" being yourself and finding your true love, "Something's Gotta Give" be open to new things and find your true love, "It's Complicated" be true to yourself, do not compromise your conscience, and find your true love, and finally "The Intern" be true to yourself, trust people, and find your true love. The theme seems repetitious about true love, but at least Meyer's stories have problems like "affairs," "trust issues", and other vices that make it less wooden and less Hallmark like. However, the problem is that Meyer's greatest strength which is showing people's flaws is also her greatest weakness. Her stories are filled with major ideologies like Humanism, eastern religions, and a sensuality that could have been fine had it been more refined and less detailed in its application on screen. An example of a refined scene of sexuality is when Red Butler in "Gone With the Wind" takes Scarlet O'Hara up those velvet red stairs into the shadows for a night of passion, but you see nothing and in morning Scarlet wakes up fully clothed in the dress from last night yawning. That how sex scenes should be done if they are to be done.

Let us begin with the objectionable content in "The Intern."  

Ben Whittaker (DeNiro) gets a hand job from Masseuse  (Fiona, Rena Russo) in front of two co-workers. Seamen is scene on pants briefly before its covered with newspaper. Later in the film, Ben gets another massage in Fiona's office and at one point a fellow worker comes in to see Ben moaning in ecstasy as Fiona rubs his feet and from the vantage point of co-worker and the audience it looks like Fiona is giving Ben Oral Sex or what common folk call a blow job. All of this is unnecessary, and is Hollywood's push for promiscuity in movies. Paradoxically, the scene between the married couple in the film has them passionately kissing while fully clothed in their bed; the audience knows they are going to have sex but it fades to black. So why is there these grotesque scenes with DeNiro's character but a classy, almost 1940's method of showing two lovers make love with the fading to black before you see anything in the same movie? Why the double standard? If Ben (DeNiro)'s character was loathsome you could claim parable, but that is not the case here. Had these sickening scenes of Ben being fondled by Fiona been left out, "The Intern" would be a classic in my book.

Humanism is at the heart of this film, DeNiro at the beginning says, "I have an empty hole inside me and I need to fill it." His answer is a job and social life (friendships). As Christians we know Christ is the only one who can fill the hole. I like what Dietrich Bonheoffer said, "Christ is our mediator between all our relationships. We cannot find fulfillment and that deep connection anymore, because it belongs to God and we can now only connect through Christ." (The Cost of Discipleship). There is nothing wrong with having close friendships, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27). The second commandment there is to love others as you love yourself, so that should be strong love because a healthy person loves themselves, who they are, their interests, and so forth. But the problem is when we make idols out of our interpersonal relationships. God is jealous God (Exodus 34:14) and will not tolerate us being content to leave Him and His cross aside, while we chase the club scene.

Another issue I have with "The Intern" is that it opens and ends with a group practicing Tai Chi in what appears to be Madison Square Garden. Tai Chi is highly demonic and is in same family as Yoga but with martial art components. Meyers often incorporates eastern religious practices and exercises that are popular today in glorified light. Because the Tai Chi is seen to calm and make the people distress, it will likely and unfortunately draw people to try it out. The answer to our stress is Jesus Christ. If we press into Him, the Apostle Paul says we shall have peace, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7). Four our Lord and Savior is the  "Prince of Peace," (Isaiah 9;6) not Tai Chi, Yoga, and other glorified pagan practices.

Near the end of the film a main character is forgiven for having an affair. While this should be a positive, after all Jesus did say to forgive, we should also remember that Jesus said adultery is an acceptable reason to divorce: "I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matthew 19:9). An affair has a devesrating power on the person being cheated on, and the way the film trivializes it with a cookie cutter ending offended me. I especially did not like how the adulterer says, "give me a chance to be better." The cheater says it in way that sounds like, "I can be stronger, let me trust in my own strength and this time I won't fail you." The Apostle Paul says, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (Romans 12:3). We are weak, but God is strong, "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9). We cannot become stronger or resist failing with more zeal, we must go to Christ in our weakness and let Him show is power is perfect in our weakness. The adultery in "The Intern" is robing God of this and placing trust in his own understanding, which King Solomon says is folly, "Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom (wisdom comes from God, Proverbs 9:10) are kept safe." (Proverbs 28:26).

There are many men who have appeared on 700 Club who tout as a triumph that they cheated on their wives and were forgiven. I persnally think it is distasteful to make those wives relive the 'testimony' of their husbands having affairs and then repenting later. Yes God forgives, but trust takes time to rebuild and in the case of adultery it is normal for trust between a husband and wife to be broken forever. It is not that I am against a couple repenting, trust in Christ for healing, and fixing their marriage damaged by the sin of sexual immorality. My problem is that in "The Intern" the cheater trusts not in Jesus, but in their own strength and gives the impression that all people should just forgive and start over. Some with the Lord's help can, but many can't and there is no reason to shame those who divorce over adultery, when Jesus says it is a justified reason to break the marriage covenant.

"The Intern" from a moviemaking, fell good, aesthetic, chemistry, and character development stand point is solid. But from a spiritual, sexual, and moral standpoint it is "found wanting." (Daniel 5:27). Robert DeNiro's character Ben Whittaker embodies class, chivalry, charcter and calmness of character worthy of imitating. But his morality is tainted by his misuse of his Masseuse. Hathaway's performance as Jules Ostin is the epitome of feminism. Jules is very eccentric, but never immoral in any sense and she does have depth of character. In a way, "The Intern" is the "Devil Wears Prada" reversed, with Hathaway replacing Meryl Streep's "Miranda Priestly." Thankfully Jules in contrast to Miranda is endearing, kind, and loving towards her employees. In a way, "The Intern" acts as a sequel to the "Devil Wears Prada" because the company Jules runs is online fashion site, and gives us glimpse into what Andy from the Devil Wears Prada might have done if she hadn't chosen to be journalist and had she been the boss instead of Miranda.

 The rest of the cast dances between flings, fast fixiing one night stand problems, and so forth. Nancy Meyers is no Messianic authoress and most of her films are full of worldly advice, sex, socializing, and the usualy drugs of alchole, food, and  occasionally Marjuwhana.  So there is no suprises there. However,in the end the Intern is an endearing film about something we've lost: cross generation relating. The Bible says, "And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17).

Today generations are seperated. Older people called senior citizens are kept (the majority of the time) in retirement homes and in circles free of college age people, high schoolers, tweens, and children. Even the classes of youths from Pre-School to Mid Career forties are kept in cubicles and separated according to age, grades, and salaries; twenty year olds hang with twenty year olds, and eighty year olds spend time with eighty year olds. Wisdom is not passed on from the elders, and the vigor and excitement of youth is kept from the elderly. This problem is within the church as well. At church, there are services for the senior citizens to mid forties, college students, High School, Jr. High, children of all grades, and even the nursery. All the generations are segregated wither it be Sunday service or Monday thru Saturday life. The Scriptures say, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17)." How are the young to share their visions and the old to share their dreams if they are separated from each other? What if the young see vision for the old and the old have dreams pertinent to the youth of the nations?

The problem is that the bubbles of division have estranged us all from each other, when we could bring joy, life, and wisdom to each other. Sometimes children are wiser, they see more simply. Jesus even says, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?", (Matthew 21:16), and "And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.." (Matthew 18:3). Other times the old are wiser, they have been around merry-go-round enough times to not re-invent the wheel and thus  have found what works best. The energy, enthusiasm, and excitement over enlightenment of every age in between the youngest to the oldest helps inspire that sense of adventure with some reality. A child believes they can travel desert without water like in the movies, while an adolescents to adults know water and other necessities are needed to travel through the desert, and the elderly can feel daunted by the necessities and not want to make the journey. What all generations need is a balance between romanticism and reality in their hearts. In short we all need each other, and "The Intern" gives a good example of that through Ben (DeNiro) and Jules (Hathaway)'s friendship.

I cautiously recommend "The Intern." For those who struggle with sexual fantasies and codependency, avoid the film. For those with strong filters and who want to just enjoy a feel good film that has beauty, class, and good characters, then enjoy. Nancy Meyers may not be the most moral director and writer, but her stories often address issues like not walking  inintegrity, searing your conscious and how it harms you (1 Timothy 4:2), and more. Her films are beautiful to look at; everything from the costumes, the cinematography, and the characters is done with opulence, and greatest care. If you have seen Meyer's other films, then you will love "The Intern." I enjoyed it, but felt I needed to raise a flag of warning about the negatives. In short, "The Intern" is one of those "eat the meat, spit out the bones." Thankfully the ribs of this film are not too boney.