The Art of a Good Intern

Movies that focus on the realities of the workforce are something that I am fascinated by. From
portraying how the company works from the inside to the different internal and external conflicts that
companies face, these make the perfect recipe for a slice-of-life movie like “The Intern”. Starring Robert De Niro
and Anne Hathaway, it stars Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old retired and widowed man who took a shot at
interning for an online fashion company in which he works for Jules Ostin, the workaholic and ultra-competitive
founder of About the Fit. The film is a lesson in the different tangible and intangible skills needed to survive in
the workplace and the growing pains of a businessman/woman who struggles to balance work and life.
Throughout the film, I was constantly fascinated by the plot of the film, and it realistically displayed the lives of
the individuals in the film to typical employees and CEOs of a company.

About the Office

The setting of About the Fit is an office space designed to foster the collaboration of teams and ensure
that open communication is inherent throughout the departments of the company. This is evident in which the
company has no individual offices and has only a floor to work with. Throughout the film, I can see how
effective this setting is in building camaraderie and teamwork among the employees, especially when Ben is
placed as an intern as he has an infectious, optimistic, and wise personality. This setting has its drawbacks as
this can affect the performance of departments because of the external noise coming from the communication
between the departments’ employees which can distract and cause miscommunication.

Driven by Ambition
Jules is a typical CEO who is a risk-taker, ambitious, creative, and driven by success. She goes beyond
boundaries to ensure that she spearheads the success of the company which Is evident throughout the film as
Jules was skeptical by her own employee’s suggestion to search for a CEO to ensure the continuity of the
business because she is not comfortable reporting to someone higher than her. I characterize Jules as a leader
and a manager, as she is hands-on with her employees with the way she works with her employees in
realigning the website of the company and making sure that there is a collaborative insight between her and
the marketing team, going to great lengths in overseeing the operations of the factory and staying late at work
to ensure that the business has been taken care of.

She is also a people-oriented leader, which is evident in the trivial ways in which she recognizes the
efforts of the people through the ringing of the bell and having an in-house masseuse to motivate the
employees to do better at their jobs. But the most emphasized plot or narrative of the story that I initially
observed is that she puts the burden in doing most of the heavy load of the jobs in the company which
imbalances her life aspect with her husband Matt and her daughter. This is evident when she continuously
forgets important social gatherings and dinners with her friends. Although some leaders tend to take huge
responsibility for any endeavor, it is important to emphasize the role of teams and the dynamics of
collaboration because the success of any company is not dependent upon the success of the people at the top,
but it is a collective contribution between members of an organization and the company. By ensuring effective
collaboration and teamwork, trust is being built on a general scale inside the company. Overall, I loved how
Jules’ character evolved throughout the film, as she effectively displayed her competency, as well as her
vulnerability as a person.

The Formula for Success

At the start of the film, Ben is characterized and portrayed as an amicable person. He quickly gains the
trust and respect of the people at About the Fit, which was evident in his conversations with Davis and Jason.
He always does the trivial things that may mean something to someone, an example of which is when he went
to the office early to fix the office or when he offered his services to be Jules’ driver because the original
chauffeur was drunk. Ben is observant and has the knack for finding things that he may be of help, which is an
important characteristic of a good employee. His infectious and charismatic personality was the key and recipe
to get at Jules and was a way for her to open up to someone older and wiser in work and life. Ben is someone
we need when we encounter problems or if we do not have someone to talk to. He gave good advice to Jules
and he was always there when she needed help with not just work, but also in her personal life.

Ben is also a consummate professional, especially when he sees Jules’ husband cheating on her. He
did not want to pry or intervene in her personal life, and Ben let Jules open up about her problems to him. This
is a perfect example of how empathy, respect, and trust are portrayed between individuals. Overall, I loved
how Ben navigated his internship experience and how he helped his co-workers adapt and develop new
perspectives in life beyond work.

The Message
The overarching message of the film can be broken down into two. First, social skills and intangibles at
work are important to be an effective team member. Empathy, effective conversational skills, and character are
important facets not just in succeeding at work, but also in building trust between people. As Ben quickly
gained the trust of his fellow employees, they quickly felt comfortable opening up to him because they knew
that he was someone who could be trusted and give good wisdom. Second, relaxation is important for any
individual. Jules suffered from burnout because of his workaholic attitude, and I loved how she embraced yoga
in the end with Ben, which was the first time I saw her relax. Although we have responsibilities at work, it is
important for us to never forget to rest, and enjoy the company of our family and friends because these are
memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

The Intern is a perfect example of a perfectly threaded movie and a good ensemble of characters that
have effectively portrayed their roles as employees and leaders of About the Fit.