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'The Internship' doesn't make good on its promising storyline

( PG-13 ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'The Internship' stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as older Google interns who try to succeed in a youth-dominated environment.

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Phil Bray/20th Century Fox/AP
'The Internship' stars Owen Wilson (l.) and Vince Vaughn (r.).
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, hoping no doubt to recap their “Wedding Crashers” vibe, reteam in “The Internship.” This time, instead of a wedding, they’re crashing the corporate precincts of Google, where they jawbone their way into internships after the bottom drops out of their salesmen gigs.
 
There’s a potentially good comedy to be made about old-school guys trying to make a go of it in a youth-dominated digital marketplace, but director Shawn Levy and screenwriter Jared Stern overdose on moronic excursions, including an outing with the two guys and their 20-something fellow interns (the company calls them “Nooglers”) at a strip club. And Google, the corporate entity, is so lovingly portrayed that the film itself resembles nothing so much as a massive product tie-in. Grade: C- (Rated PG-13 for sexuality, some crude humor, partying and language.)

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