Internship, The (10/22/2013)

Rated PG-13 for sexuality, some crude humor, partying and language.

Starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson

Directed by Shawn Levy (Real Steel, Date Night and Night at the Museum)

I think they googled “cliché buddy jokes.”

Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation’s most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.

Most people either love or hate Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson…there is no middle ground. I’m one of those guys who loves them. And I know all the arguments – they play the same role in every movie, they can’t really act, they’re too juvenile…blah, blah, blah.

I think they are funny.

Whether Vince is opposite Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller or Jon Favreau (Swingers is still one of my favorites) I’m usually laughing. And I was laughing though most of this one.

I said “most” because about half way through the movie there is a trip to a strip club. They managed to keep it well inside the PG-13 rating by not showing any nudity, but they showed enough to cause me to drop the score.

I decided on a “Rental” because it wasn’t as raunchy as I expected. We all know that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson can cross the line with reckless abandon, but they keep most of that in check.

In fact, The Internship had a lot of heart. Shawn Levy causes us to wrestle with topics like “how do we treat the underdogs/losers,” “how do you work with someone you don’t like” and “how to be a friend even when it’s difficult.”

There are a few funny scenes, plenty of heart, and a great cast with some great cameos. I would have gone “Theater Worthy” if not for the strip club scene. But for me, it’s a “Rental.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There are quite a few crude sexual references throughout the film and one extended scene that takes place in a strip club where women dance in skimpy outfits and several characters receive lap-dances from the strippers.

There are 2 F-words, several S-words and other profanities.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. How are Billy and Nick viewed by the other interns?


2. What were your initial thoughts of Billy and Nick’s team?


3. Have you ever felt like a loser or an outsider? Tell me about it.


4. In Romans 2:11 Paul says, “God does not show favoritism.”

   If God doesn’t show favoritism, should we?



5. How can we do a better job of not showing favoritism this week?