Intern, The (1/19/2016)

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and brief strong language.

Starring Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro and Rene Russo

Directed by Nancy Meyers

The Intern is a fun date movie with a powerful message.

In The Intern, Robert De Niro stars as Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway).

In this modern generation-gap comedy, Nancy Meyers uses the traditional fish-out-of-water humor like when Ben struggles to set up a Facebook account, but astonishes his fellow twenty-something interns by carrying a briefcase. He also dispenses advice on everything from dating and appearances to jobs and major life decisions.

I’m not the biggest fan of Nancy Meyers’ movies. But I will say this is her best film in more than a decade.

Where The Intern works is with the cast. De Niro is mild-mannered, respectful and light-hearted…yes, I said Robert De Niro. Hathaway is right on the edge of being annoying but never goes there.

The Intern is two hours of Baby-Boomer wisdom (including how to wear pocket squares), several laughs, a few tender-hearted moments and some encouraging scenes…it’s a rental.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
This PG-13 film is fine for most teenagers. There is no sex or nudity and no violence. There is one F-word and the subject matter is adult in nature.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. How does Jules and her staff treat Ben at first? Why?


2. What are some other areas we judge about people?

Read 1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord told him, “Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I’ve chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”


3. How often do we judge someone by what they look like?


4. What are some things we can do to stop judging others by what they look like?