Search - Intern on DVD

Can a movie be disappointing without being bad?

Chris Maverick | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 02/27/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I can't really say much was "bad" about this movie. It was good for what it was. Sadly, I was just expecting so much more from it. I bought this movie because I have been quite impressed with Dominique Swain in her last several rolls. Indeed I wrote a glowing review of the film Girl, a movie where I felt Ms Swain grew as much as an actress as her character did as a woman. Furthermore, Swain has always impressed me be it her initial starring role in the remake of Lolita to her smaller supporting role in Face/Off. Sadly, the Intern fails to showcase that talent. Swain does not put in a poor performance, but she doesn;t seem to be working in the role either. She seems to coast through it. There are moments when I felt as though she would lose herself in Jocelyn (the intern) as she had lost herself in Andrea(her character in Girl) previously, and for perhaps a split second, maybe she did, but for most of the film she performs like a High School senior with dual 800 SAT scores in an intro to algebra class. The part is so simple for her that she doesn't have to work for it, and this seems to come through in the character. One must also look at the films other two notable "stars" Kathy Griffitn and Joan Rivers. Griffin actually provides the best performance of the cast and well she should as the part she was cast in seems tailor-made for her trademark style of humor. She provides a bit of 1-dimensional sarcasm aimed at the fashion world in which the film takes place. Her delivery combined to the script provide just the right touch of sarcastic humor. Any more would have annoyed the audience and detracted from the film, any less would have slowed down the film and called attention to the mediocre portrayal of other characters. Joan Rivers on the other hand also plays a somewhat exagerrated version of herself (if that is even possible).. Sadly her character is so weak and her portrayal so obvious that she all but gives away the plot of the rest of the film in her first scene. I will refrain from mentioning her further now to keep from spoiling the film myself. The story is a simple one. Almost too simple. There are too many obviously perfect situations set up. At the risk of giving a small spoiler, Jocelyn's love interest Paul (portrayed by Ben Pullen) is predestined from his first appearance when another character tells us that he is the only heterosexual male in the film. In perhaps the saddest moment in the film, Swain looks into the camera and says "He's straight?" and nearly begins to drool right then and there. That said, the story isn't so simplistic as to not be enjoyable. The film presents a cute little love story with a mystery subplot that the viewer can be sure will all be tied up in a bow in 90 short minutes. Perhaps it is accomplishing everything that it intended to accomplish; providing the viewer with a mild amusing hour and a half to fill a Sunday evening. Sadly I was hoping for so much more. One final word of caution. The film opens with an absolutely ridiculous musical number. Just sit tight and bide your time. It will end soon and never be mentioned again."

Over the Top

Meghan C. Portillo | California - again | 03/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Do not allow the opening musical sequence to cause you to turn off the movie! It is my opinion that this movie is worth watching to the end.

I know this a silly movie. I know the acting isn't the best. But I love this movie. The acting is so over the top and quasi-serious (or is that really how people in the fashion industry talk and act?!). I think that the only way to truly enjoy this movie is if you don't take it seriously.

The celebrity guest spots are fabulous - especially Joan Rivers. If you are skeptical about the movie and not too amused, you can't help but guffaw when she hits the screen (at least I couldn't).

The love story is predictable yet cute ... The whole Eurie (sp?) thing is a bit annoying, but it's almost worth sitting through that part of the plot when it's finally discovered who it is. Some subplots are interesting, others would have been better off as deleted scenes (if I recall, this DVD has no special features aside from interactive menus and the like).

So, I shall reiterate: If you are to enjoy this movie, you can't take it seriously. It is a fun movie and should be watched when you're in need of fluff."

Give It A Break

Stephen M. Moser | Austin, Texas USA | 01/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Bad reviews abound for this straight-to-video feature - lot's of ugly sniping about the fashion business, gay stereotypes, superficiality, etc. But, please, let's get real here. Not every movie has to have deep subtext and meaning - especially not movies about the fashion business. Written and executive produced by Jill Kopelman, (daughter of the owner of the House of Chanel) and Caroline Doyle, the inside jokes and cameos run rampant in a movie that just misses being very clever. With a dreary romantic comedy subplot, Dominique Swain, most notable for *Lolita*, plays Jocelyn, an intern at *Skirt* magazine, who becomes involved in fashion espionage. A very thin premise, to be sure, with a John Waters-ish feel to it, but with a breathless E! TV approach to fashion and comedy. Also like a John Waters film, *Intern* depends heavily on onscreen slapstick and cameo performances- though since it's not John Waters, of course, we miss seeing Patty Hearst. Peggy Lipton is a pleasant surprise as Fashion Editor, Roxanne Rochet, a typical fashion victim, given to such statements as "Forget the herbal wrap - I want a Himalayan rejuvenation lichen-berry acid peel." She and her staff are complete caricatures of fashionistas (they are devoting nine pages of their current issue to making wheelchairs the chic accessory), but they are right on the money - especially Leilani Bishop as the vacuous, self-absorbed supermodel, and David Deblinger as the queeny art director. Paulina Porizkova, Anna Thompson, and comedienne Kathy Griffin are a little one-dimensional, but funny as well. Joan Rivers is Joan Rivers, and that's all we need to say about that. As stated earlier, it's not a particularly deep movie, but to paraphrase Karl Lagerfeld, fashion is not the same thing as feeding the hungry and curing the ill."