The Intern

Audiences are so used to Robert De Niro mortgaging off his reputation that his appearances in predictable fluff like The Intern no longer seem quite so unpalatable. Once a complacent giant, he now calls to mind a faintly embarrassing father figure to whom respect is nevertheless owed.

This latest offering from writer-director Meyers riffs on our perception of the star as she plunges him into a sentimental fish-out-of-water story. A cuddly and besuited 70-year-old, his character certainly isn’t an obvious fit for Hathaway’s hip Brooklyn-based online fashion retailer. Much to the surprise of his workaholic boss, he nevertheless proves a great asset to both the company and her personal life.

Meyers, who’s only five years younger than her protagonist, makes some salient points concerning the cyclical nature of fashion and the enduring qualities of kindness and integrity. She’s to be applauded for bringing a driven, female breadwinner to the big screen, but her progressive, humanist credentials are ultimately undermined by a belief that fulfilment can be achieved through wealth accumulation and business. [Lewis Porteous]