Film

The Intern

Name: The Intern
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2015
Cast: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Anders Holm, JoJo Kushner

Buddy comedy
Light-hearted

A 70-year-old widower takes a senior internship at a buzzy e-commerce fashion startup, becoming an unexpected stabilizing force for its overworked young founder. It's a gentle, earnest comedy about reinvention, mentorship, and finding purpose. Sweet without being saccharine, it speaks to anyone who's felt adrift or wondered what comes next.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like warm, gently observant comedies about an older man and a younger boss finding common ground, where the pleasure comes from small human moments more than from plot.

Skip it if you want sharp edges or a story with real stakes, since this is cosy, polished and at over two hours it leans on its gentle charm rather than surprise.

What it asks of you: Settle in for just over two hours of unhurried, mostly light scenes, and let the rhythm of an office and a friendship carry you rather than chasing a plot.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

About a Boy2002

Two damaged people of vastly different ages form an unlikely bond that changes them both. Warm, witty, and genuinely moving—it finds depth in the comedy without ever losing its lighter touch.

But The central character starts as a fairly unlikeable man-child, and it takes time to care about him. Some will find the sentiment heavy-handed.

The Farewell2019

A multigenerational family comedy about love, obligation, and cultural difference. Awkwafina is wonderful, and it balances humor with real emotional stakes in exactly the way The Intern attempts.

But It's quieter and more subtle than you might expect from a comedy. The pacing can feel slow if you want constant laughs.

Mamma Mia!2008

Pure joy. A film about finding yourself in the second half of your life, with ABBA, Meryl Streep, and zero cynicism. It commits to its happiness without apology.

But If you hate ABBA or broad musical comedy, this will feel like torture. It's entirely shameless in its earnestness.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Intern

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017

Both are about people stepping into a world they don't belong in—one through choice, one through circumstance—and discovering they have more to offer than anyone expected, including themselves.

A woman in her late 40s rebuilds her identity from scratch after divorce. It has The Intern's warmth and found-family joy, but with sharper dialogue and higher stakes. It swings for both comedy and genuine drama without flinching.

But It's fast-paced and dense—dialogue moves at full sprint, and if you're not locked in, scenes can feel overwrought. The seasonal quality is uneven.

It's Complicated2009

Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin as middle-aged people with real lives and real problems. It takes older protagonists seriously and trusts them to carry a romantic comedy.

But The plot is fairly predictable. It leans on movie-star charm rather than genuine surprise or risk.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife2021

The original Ghostbusters return, not as action heroes but as older people passing the torch. It's sentimental about aging and mentorship without being maudlin.

But It's still a blockbuster franchise film, which means it prioritizes spectacle. The emotional beats can feel secondary to the set pieces.

A Walk to Remember2002

A quiet story about two people who shouldn't work but somehow do. It finds grace in sadness and proves that sincerity doesn't require irony to work.

But It's deeply sentimental, even manipulative. If you're allergic to earnestness, this will make you uncomfortable.

The First Wives Club1996

Three older women reclaim their lives and humor after heartbreak. It's actually funny, genuinely feminist, and proves that comedy doesn't belong only to the young.

But The fashion and some references feel dated. The second half loses some of its bite as the plot takes over.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel2012

A ensemble cast of older actors given time and space to be funny, romantic, and complicated. It's about reinvention and finding life in the second act.

But It's essentially a travelogue masquerading as narrative. If you want plot momentum, you'll be frustrated.

Book Club2018

Four older women read Fifty Shades of Grey and have adventures. It's silly and doesn't take itself seriously, but it genuinely likes its characters.

But The humor is broad and predictable. It feels like a vehicle for the cast rather than a story that needed telling.

Gran Torino2008

An older protagonist forced out of stasis by younger people who need them, and discovering that mentorship and sacrifice can be what saves you, not what costs you.

Clint Eastwood as a bitter, aggrieved older man who connects with his Hmong neighbors and discovers what it means to live for something beyond yourself. It's serious where The Intern is light, but the emotional spine is identical: isolation overcome by unexpected human connection.

But It's tense and sometimes ugly. The racism is depicted unflinchingly, and the ending asks a lot of the viewer emotionally. Nothing here is cozy.

Synecdoche, New York2008

Both films hinge on older protagonists discovering that mentorship and engagement can be a form of self-discovery—that helping someone else rebuild their life is what rebuilds your own.

A aging theater director builds an increasingly elaborate replica of his world inside a warehouse as he grapples with mortality and meaning. It's tonally complex—sad, funny, disorienting, profound—and treats the question of what you do when your life is half over as a legitimate obsession worth exploring.

But It's abstract, sometimes opaque, and deliberately unsettling. There's no easy payoff. If you want a film that sits comfortably, this actively resists it.