The Internship (2013) or, Two Dopes at Google

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Two familiar comedy stars in jeans look lost in a Google-inspired blank page on this neat poster for Shawn Levy's The Internship

Two grown men, who work together for a company which now goes bankrupt, go searching for a new future for themselves through an internship at the search engine giant Google in Silicon Valley.

 

The Internship is written by co-writer/co-producer/co-star Vince Vaughn (The Break-Up (2006)) and Jared Stern (Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)) and directed by co-producer/director Shawn Levy (Address Unknown (1997)).

Nothing much happen to the two men in their new situation, and none of them have anything in their lives of weight, interest or meaning to really pitch in with. This leaves the affair an empty experience, and as an attempt at office situation comedy, The Internship feels like the beginning of a very long TV-series, you absolutely would want to miss, more so than an actual movie. 

Vaughn and Owen Wilson (Marmaduke (2010)) play immature, mind-zapped, endlessly yapping idiots, and they are surrounded by caricature figures in Google land. You will be minimally amused by this stinker, which is also likely to make you tired of the likes of Rose Byrne (Annie (2014)), Max Minghella (Babylon (2022)) and Silicon Valley.

 

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Shawn Levy: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Date Night (2010) - Carell and Fey bring out the big laugh guns 

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) or, Museum Night: Sequel Time 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

The Pink Panther (2006) - Martin's Sellers imitation is a trial to sit through

Night at the Museum (2006) - Levy and Stiller bring the family fun 

 

  

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 58 mil. $

Box office: 93.4 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.61 times its cost)

[The Internship premiered 29 May (California) and runs 119 minutes. Vaughn got the idea for the film after seeing a 60 Minutes segment on working at Google. Shooting took place from July - September 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia and in California, including in San Francisco. The film opened #4, behind fellow new release The Purge and holdover hits Fast & Furious 6 and Now You See Me, to a 17.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 44.6 mil. $ (47.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 7.1 mil. $ (7.6 %) and the UK with 5.3 mil. $ (5.7 %). The film also made more than 13.3 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. Levy returned with This Is Where I Leave You (2014). Vaughn returned in Delivery Man (2013); Wilson in Drunk History (2013, TV-series) and theatrically in Are You Here (2013). The Internship is rotten at 25 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Internship?

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - Two Smiths inspire hearts and minds in true-story drama

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+ Best Biopic of the Year + Best San Francisco Movie of the Year + Deserved Hit of the Year

 

 

Hollywood father and son star Will Smith and co-star Jaden Smith in a cute moment make up this poster for Gabriele Muccino's The Pursuit of Happyness

 

In Reagan's 1980s America, we follow Chris Gardner, a savvy salesman in San Francisco, who struggles with selling a hopeless product and a wife who doesn't believe in him, attempting to keep alive his dream of a better life and be a good father to his son.

The Pursuit of Happyness is written by Steve Conrad (Wonder (2017)), based on the same-titled 2006 memoir by Chris Gardner and Quincy Troupe, and directed by Gabriele Muccino (Ecco Fatto (1998)).

Forget the sappy vibe that the poster erroneously creates: The Pursuit of Happyness is a wonderful, strong, human and very American film - about overcoming hard odds in life.

It is a film full of situations that this reviewer at least recognized from his own life, borne by an almost heroic trooper in Will Smith's (Ali (2001)) front and center performance. Jaden Smith (The Karate Kid (2010)) proves also a find as his son, - their interplay goes straight to the soft spot in the heart, and God bless them both for this film.

Thandiwe Newton (God's Country (2022)) is good at being the exhausted, sour wife here, although she at times over-plays it a bit. James Karen (The Return of the Living Dead (1985)) is especially good in a supporting part. The Pursuit of Happyness is soberly told with a good eye for details. The ending packs a strong emotional wallop, (and real-life Gardner actually walks by in its last fine shot.) It is an outstanding, uplifting film of survival and overcoming poverty and despair.

 

Related post:

 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 55 mil. $

Box office: 307.1 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 5.58 times its cost)

[The Pursuit of Happyness was released 15 December (North America, Mexico, Croatia) and runs 117 minutes. Shooting took place around September 2005 in California, including in San Francisco. Smith's profit participation deal reportedly netted him an incredible 71.4 mil. $ pay for the film. It opened #1 to a 26.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 5 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#2-#2-#3-#5), grossing 163.5 mil. $ (53.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 22.6 mil. $ (7.4 %) and Italy with 21.3 mil. $ (6.9 %). Smith was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, lost to Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. The film was also nominated for a David di Donatello award, 2 Golden Globes, among other honors. It additionally made in excess of 90.5 mil. $ on the North-American home video market alone. Muccino returned with 3 short, video and TV credits prior to his theatrical return with Seven Pounds (2008). Smith returned in I Am Legend (2007). The Pursuit of Happyness is fresh at 67 % with a 6.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Pursuit of Happyness?

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - US theater's second-greatest salesman play fueled by magnetic performers

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A businessman doing a high wire act against a dramatic blue sky is the motif on this eye-catching poster for James Foley's Glengarry Glen Ross

A real estate office gets threatened by imminent lay-offs, and the small staff are pushed to deliver results - or find another place of work.

Glengarry Glen Ross is written by David Mamet (Hannibal (2001)), based on his own same-titled 1983 play, and directed by great New-Yorker filmmaker James Foley (Reckless (1984)).

It is a really excellent film with an eminent ensemble: Jack Lemmon (It Happened to Jane (1959)) and Al Pacino (Two for the Money (2005)) deserve high-lighting, but really the whole lot are sublime. It is a sassy and compelling adaptation, which only brings the best with it from the stage version.

Glengarry Glen Ross works on many levels; it ends a bit suddenly, and the title, which refers to two different real estate developments that the office try to sell, is a bit opaque.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 12.5 mil. $

Box office: 10.7 mil. $ (North America only)

= Uncertain but likely a big flop (returned 0.85 times its cost domestically)

[Glengarry Glen Ross premiered 30 August (Edinburgh International Film Festival) and runs 100 minutes. Mamet was paid 1 mil. $ for the rights to, as well as adapting his play. The stars took reduced salaries to get the film made: Pacino 1.5 mil. $, Lemmon 1 mil. $, Alec Baldwin 250k $. Shooting took place for 39 days from August - October 1991 in New York. The stars reportedly showed up also on days they did not have scenes, to watch their colleagues' performances. The producers sued each other during production. The film opened #8 to a 2.1 mil. $ first weekend in 416 theaters in North America, where it diminished from there and grossed 10.7 mil. $. Regrettably the international numbers are not reported. If the film ended up with a realistic 15 mil. $ gross, it would rank as big flop. It was nominated for 1 Oscar; Best Supporting Actor (Pacino), lost to Gene Hackman in Unforgiven. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, won 2 National Board of Review awards and 2 prizes at the Venice Film Festival, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Foley returned with Two Bits (1995). Pacino returned in Scent of a Woman (1992); Lemmon in The Wild West (1993, miniseries) and theatrically in Short Cuts (1993). Glengarry Glen Ross is certified fresh at 95 minutes with a 8.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Glengarry Glen Ross?