FILM REVIEW

THE INTERN
 INTRODUCTION

THE INTERN TAKES PLACE IN BROOKLYN AND MUCH OF THE MOVIE IS SHOT ON LOCATION IN BROOKLYN,
MANHATTAN, AND THE BRONX. IN THE MOVIE, BEN LIVES IN A CLASSIC BROWNSTONE. THE SCENES IN BEN'S
HOME WERE ACTUALLY FILMED IN A REAL BROWNSTONE WHERE A COUPLE HAD LIVED FOR OVER 30 YEARS. THE
THEME OF THE MOVIE IS ABOUT GROWING UP, BECOMING AN ADULT, AND MAKING YOUR OWN DECISIONS,
PAINTED BROADLY WITH THESE THREE MEN AS BEN (THROUGH LITTLE WORDS AND ACTIONS) TAKES THEM
FROM BEING FRATTY HIPSTERS AND TURNS THEM INTO UPSTANDING GENTLEMEN.
 Plot Summary
Seventy-year-old widower Ben Whittaker, a
retired executive from DEX One, applies
to fill the newly conceived position of senior intern, after retirement has become too
boring for him. He applies to About The Fit, a fast-growing e-commerce fashion
startup in Brooklyn. Founder and CEO Jules Ostin had previously agreed to a
community outreach program where seniors would intern at the firm. Ben impresses
everyone and is one of four hired.
Ben is assigned to work with Jules, who is somewhat skeptical at first. Initially frozen out by her,
Ben slowly wins over co-workers with his congeniality and gets into Jules's good graces. He also
helps numerous employees with their tasks. Ben comes to work at 7:00 A.M. one day to organize
a messy desk that Jules had complained about previously. After work, Ben notices Jules's
chauffeur drinking, convinces the driver to leave and drives Jules home himself, a role he retains
in days to come. On their first drive together, Ben asks several questions about Jules' personal
life, and she asks one of her employees to transfer Ben to be an intern for someone else. But
by the end of the day, they become very close. The next day, Jules arrives to the car to see Ben
has been replaced as her driver by Doris. Doris is a horrible driver, driving into someone else's
car and almost crashing into a building. Jules drives to About The Fit and begs Ben to come
back.

 Ben eventually reveals that he once worked in the very same building where About
The Fit is now based. He develops a romantic relationship with the in-house massage
therapist, Fiona and becomes something of a father figure to several of the younger
workers: by offering advice about issues such as love, clothes sense and work/life
balance. He provides one of them with a place to stay at his brownstone after being
evicted by his parents. Ben becomes very committed to Jules, and even breaks into the
house of Jules' mother to delete an embarrassingly scathing email, narrowly avoiding
getting arrested in the process. Ben also gets to know Jules' family. Her husband,
Matt, gave up his own career to be a stay-at-home dad to their daughter, Paige, when
About The Fit started to take off. However, their marriage is slowly breaking apart as
the couple grows more distant.
 Analysis of the Character

1. Ben Whittaker- seventy-year-old widower, a retired executive from a phone book company,
applies to a senior citizen intern program after retirement has become too boring for him.
2. Jules Ostin- a tireless, driven, demanding, dynamic workaholic, a wife and has a daughter
(Paige).
3. Doris- is a horrible driver, driving into someone else's car and almost crashing into a building.
4. Fiona- Ben develops a romantic relationship with her. She is also an in-house massage
therapist.
5. Matt Ostin- Jules husband, stays at home to care for their daughter Paige.
6. Paige Ostin- daughter of Jules and Matt, she sometimes spent some time with Ben.
 CONCLUSION

Jules is under pressure to give up her post of CEO to someone outside of the company as her investors feel that she is unable to cope with
the workload, having grown About The Fit from a startup founded in her kitchen to a 220-employee juggernaut in only eighteen months.
Believing it will give her more time at home with her family, Jules is willing to consider the proposal. When driving Paige home from a
party, Ben discovers that Matt is having an affair with another parent at Paige's school. While on a business trip in San Francisco to interview
a potential CEO candidate, Jules reveals that she knows about Matt's cheating, but did not confront Matt about it because she was not ready
to deal with it. In an effort to buy herself time to save her marriage, Jules decides to hire a prospective CEO. When Jules goes to Ben's
home the next day, Ben greatly encourages Jules to think about how much this will change her authority and how her creativity may be
hindered and also reminds her of her passion for her company. Matt unexpectedly drops in at the office and urges her to reconsider, saying
that he is sorry, ashamed, and wants to support her in her dreams. Jules goes out looking for Ben, wanting to tell him that she has changed
her mind and finds him enjoying his tai chi exercise group. She finally lets herself relax and joins him in practicing tai chi, an act symbolic of
her finding balance in her life.
 Moral of the movie;
No One Can Understand Your Dream Better than You. No one can have a better
vision about your company than you do. So, instead of giving up on your dreams, it’s
best to believe in magic and have an undying faith in your dreams and your goals. Aim
for a work-life balance. Everyone is always on the go and we rarely pump the breaks
to smell the flowers and just enjoy the things that take our breath away. Role Reversal
Can Be Great. It is important to understand that both men and women have equal
responsibility towards the upbringing of a family, a society and that might mean women
taking over the traditional men roles and vice versa.