If I could live within the universe of a single filmmaker, I would probably choose Nancy Meyers. For the two hours or so when I watch one of her movies, the noise of the world goes silent and her soothing presence reassures me that good people and common decency will ultimately prevail. Her latest cinematic creation, “The Intern,” continues her grand tradition of optimistic wisdom worth embracing with wide arms and an open heart.
In a cynical age, dismissing such a hopeful vision as naive or simplistic would be all too easy, but Meyers’ film never feels facile. If “The Intern” seems like sunshine and rainbows, it’s merely a retraining of the eye to see the sunshine through the clouds and rainbows through the rainstorm. Her characters know pain and must draw the strength from within to come out on top.
Meyers’ protagonist of choice is Ben Whittaker, played by Robert DeNiro as the polar opposite of Travis Bickle or Jake LaMotta. A 70-year-old widower, Ben tires of retirement and looks for a way to become needed once more. He finds that at About the Fit, an e-retail start-up with an internship program for senior citizens. After an inspiring video lands him the position, the old company man quickly charms the entire company. Ben even manages to command a trio of younger workers, including Adam DeVine’s chummy Jason, into a posse that Meyers often photographs like the boys in an “Entourage” episode.
The only person unenthused by Ben’s presence is the site’s embattled founder and CEO Jules Ostin, who is played by Anne Hathaway. She had the right idea at the right time yet struggles to inspire confidence among investors. They think a more seasoned executive can help sustain the company’s growth, and try as she might, they do not buy that Jules has the business acumen of a Mark Zuckerberg.
Still, she is an enormously capable businesswoman just trying to find a more sustainable balance between the demands of work and home life. Ben sees right through her smoke screens, and it absolutely terrifies Jules.
These days, it seems like a lot to ask for a movie to seriously tackle one topic with the requisite depth to provide satisfaction. On that criterion, “
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