Robert De Niro’s Comeback: The Intern, the Movie That Refused to Stay Forgotten

Ah, the perils of a new year, particularly if your name is Robert De Niro. Fresh off the less-than-stellar release of The Alto Knights, De Niro has stumbled into a curious time warp where a decade-old film has somehow managed to claw its way back into the public consciousness. Who needs relevance when you have streaming charts?

Enter The Intern, the delightful workplace comedy that lets us witness the riveting tale of seventy-year-old widower Ben Whittaker, played by De Niro, embarking on a thrilling adventure as a senior intern at an online fashion site. Because what screams mid-life crisis louder than trading stocks for spreadsheets? Cue the collective sigh from every millennial who just got a flashback to their last Zoom meeting.

It turns out Netflix has resurrected this charming film from the archives, putting it back at the top of the streaming charts. Yes, folks, it somehow found its way to #1—because nothing says ‘I want to binge-watch’ quite like a senior citizen learning the ropes of online retail. It grossed an impressive $194 million, which translates to about five times its modest $35 million budget. Talk about a financial planner’s dream!

On the critical front, The Intern garnered a commendable score of 60% from critics and an astoundingly generous 73% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. This basically means a majority found it watchable, which in the film world translates to a roaring success. Let’s not forget that critics often hand out stars like candy, so take that percentage with a grain of salt.

Now, let’s pivot to Nancy Meyers, the woman behind the scenes. Writing and directing this cinematic gem without a hint of outside help, Meyers proves that when you have the golden touch, you can create something inexplicably rewarding. Still, one has to wonder about her creative process: “What if we made De Niro a hipster intern?” Revolutionary, truly.

And speaking of revolutions, De Niro’s role raises an essential question—what career paths are left for someone at his age? Clearly, it’s an online fashion site or nothing. Because who wouldn’t want to navigate the wild world of e-commerce while offering sage wisdom about life, love, and possibly the best places to find discount slacks?

In a world that continuously shuffles talents into designated boxes, De Niro’s latest foray into tech-savvy internships presents a delightful irony. Who knew the road to rediscovering our favorite actors could be paved with colorful avatars on a trendy website? So the next time you glance at your streaming app, remember: even De Niro’s spirit can be resurrected, reminding us all that sometimes life, much like online fashion, is simply a series of serves and returns.