Complete A-Z list


Internship, The (DQ)

6/10

Stars: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, Max Minghella, Aasif Mandvi, Josh Gad, Will Ferrell, John Goodman

Director: Shawn Levy

Despite some warm and fuzzy moments, this comedy, co-scripted and co-produced by star Vince Vaughn, which reunites him with Owen Wilson from The Wedding Crashers, never quite shakes off the nagging idea that it's a two hour plug for Google.

Failing at their jobs as watch salesmen - 'Let's face it,' growls their boss (an underused John Goodman), 'where you're going, you've already been' - Jack (Vaughn) and Nick (Wilson), despite being computer Luddites, wangle themselves an internship at the online info giant - and quickly find themselves part of the team of bods that nobody wants,

The winning team, natch, will get permanent Google jobs. Of course, the team of misfits eventually blends - notably in a game of quidditch which they almost win - but funny lines and telling moments are almost outweighed by multiple views of the name Google; the best sequence is a quickfire one in which Wilson tries to demonstrate '10 years of being an asshole' when taking taking junior boss Rose Byrne (too good for her role) to dinner.

It's all OK-plus fun for fans of the actors concerned - and their dismay at being dinosaurs at 40 (nobody buys watches any more) is well conveyed - but, like most American comedies these days, it's half an hour too long.

David Quinlan

USA 2013. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour by deluxe.
120 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 29 Jun 2013