Parents' Guide to

The Internship

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Wilson, Vaughn reteam for goofy comedy with sex humor.

Movie PG-13 2013 119 minutes
The Internship Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 16 parent reviews

age 12+
age 14+

Very positive movie

It's a funny, easy and slightly stupid movie. The plot is very predictable and inherent to such genre, and it's great. You know, there are several various outsiders which have to act as a team, and so on. The movie is well working for the brain rest and uplifting. I didn't feel like strangling the main characters for their foolishness or out of pity, they made me smile because of their positivity. Sometimes amusing, sometimes stupid, sometimes touching, everything is proportionate. Oh, and that Golden Snitch just killed me).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (16):
Kids say (42):

Nostalgia runs firmly through this enjoyable comedy. Nostalgia for a pre-Google era when romantic prospects were still mysteries to be solved by getting to know someone, kids and grown-ups weren't metaphorically handcuffed to their devices, and business was transacted face to face and not, as one character puts it, "on the line." It's good fodder for a movie, but The Internship also reminds us of a kinder, gentler time when the joyful, meandering banter of Wilson and Vaughn was still fresh, unmined by the countless bromances spawned by movies like The Wedding Crashers. But here, it's just one of too many in a genre that's long been played out.

Still: We have here the masters of the form. Wilson and Vaughn share an undeniable, irresistible chemistry. They're the best thing about the movie, which suffers somewhat from very dated and tired references -- can we really not find anything else to resuscitate from the archives besides Flashdance? And are Quidditch jokes still a thing? -- and setups that feel like they make sense in the era of the Internet 1.0. The lessons learned are trite -- set aside the electronics for a while and live a little, and yay teamwork! -- but still relevant.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate