The Internship (2013)
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Two laid-off salesmen find themselves competing against tech-savvy youth for a prestigious internship at Google.
The story
After their employer goes out of business, salesmen Billy McMahon and Nick Campbell apply for Google internships. Despite their lack of experience and unconventional age, they are accepted and must compete against a group of younger, tech-savvy students. The team is led by a manager named Lyle and includes several distinct personalities. To win the only guaranteed jobs at Google, Billy and Nick must navigate a series of challenges, ranging from physical tasks to technical hurdles, while trying to prove their worth in a high-tech environment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After their employer goes out of business, salesmen Billy McMahon and Nick Campbell apply for Google internships. They are accepted due to their unorthodox interview answers despite their lack of experience. They join a team led by Lyle, a manager who tries to act hip, and teammates Stuart, Yo-Yo, and Neha. The team initially struggles but finds success in a game of quidditch, though they lose after an opponent, Graham, cheats. During a task to develop an app, the team spends a wild night out, leading to the creation of an app that prevents drunk phone usage, which wins them the task. Meanwhile, Nick develops an interest in technology while trying to impress a Google executive, Dana. During a technical support task, Billy is helped by an introvert named 'Headphones' but fails to log his calls. In the final sales challenge, Nick gives Billy an inspiring speech to return. They convince a local pizzeria owner to use Google's services. In the final moments, they give a dynamic presentation that wins them the jobs, while Graham is reprimanded by 'Headphones,' who is revealed to be the head of Google Search. The film ends with the characters forming various connections and relationships.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Shawn Levy
- Writers
- Vince Vaughn · screenplay; Jared Stern · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Vince Vaughn · Billy McMahon; Owen Wilson · Nick Campbell; Rose Byrne; Max Minghella; Aasif Mandvi; Josh Brener; Dylan O'Brien; Tobit Raphael; Tiya Sircar; Josh Gad; Jessica Szohr
- Genres
- comedy; buddy comedy
- Themes
- Underdog success; Generational gap; Technology and marketing
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Lighthearted
- Premise and plot tags
- Buddy Comedy; Workplace Comedy; Tech
- Content notes
- Profanity; Nudity
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with many describing it as a long commercial for Google.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 34% · scale: percentage · review count: 167; Metacritic · score: 42 · scale: 100 · review count: 36; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- Vince Vaughn conceived the idea after watching a 60 Minutes segment on Google's work culture.; The film was shot in Atlanta, Georgia, and at Georgia Tech.; The film was the second collaboration of Levy, Vaughn, and Stern.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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