Customer Reviews

Intern [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this movie because I am smitten by Paulina Porizkova who plays the shoe editor for "Skirt" magazine. She was the Estee Lauder model for about 7 years. Gwyneth Paltrow has a cameo role as well. I am also smitten by her. I have been reading fashion magazines for years and, for a while was a photographer, and know about models. In fact, I knew a model like Resin.

The movie has this very enjoyable musical production number just after the start. It is reminiscent of the old MGM musicals. Then we are introduced to the staff of "Skirt" by Jocelyn, the intern. She is played very well by Dominique Swain. All the staff of "Skirt" are played 'over the top' like some members of the rag trade.

Peggy Lipton who plays the editor in chief was a pleasant surprise to me. I last saw her as Julie, the gorgeous blond dolly cop in "The Mod Squad" TV series. Now she has black hair and is a very attractive sophisticated lady. Joan Rivers is, as usual excellent in her role.There are the cameos of the fashion famous especially Andre Leon Talley (actually Editor at Large of Vogue). The thing that really adds to this movie is the story about the spy. I did not suspect who the spy turned out to be. The movie is well scripted - a plus these days when there are movies being made with excellent special effects but bad scripts. The editing is tight which makes the film move fast with no dead spots.

A credit to Michael Lange for his first feature movie. He has being doing a lot of TV including the "X-Files" and should get a lot more feature work.

If you're looking for an intelligent satirical romantic comedy that's a little outrageous and lots of fun, you've found it! But first a warning: I directed this film, so obviously there's a bias, though I am usually pretty hard on my own work. It was in the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and did very well there. Audiences loved it. I think you will, too. I gave it 5 stars (though I haven't seen the DVD yet) for the above reason(me being the director), but I must confess that the sound quality isn't the greatest. Chalk that up to low budget independent filmmaking. Other than that, the film looks great and is a huge amount of fun to watch. You'll probably need to watch it a few times to get all the jokes and double entendres (and there are a lot of them), and I guarantee you'll catch something new each time.

The film gives you a behind the scenes look at the fashion industry but it's certainly not meant to be a serious expose, although I tried hard (and succeeded) to keep it honest and authentic. The writers, who were both in the Fashion Magazine business as interns, were on the set every day making sure we kept it all true to form. Many of the scenes in the film and even some of the dialogue actually happened to the writers. And most of the characters are based on real people in the business.

Dominique Swain is sublime in the role of Jocelyn. She's likeable, beautiful and vulnerable yet strong. Ben Pullen is charming. Sort of a more accessible version of Hugh Grant. Joan Rivers is very funny and fun to watch. Kathy Griffin is hilarious, Peggy Lipton is also very funny and Paulina Porizkova is beautiful and not afraid to look a little silly. Anna Thompson is fantastic as Antoinette, a totally bizarre hair editor. David Deblinger, who is somehow missing from the credits in Amazon (he is credited in the film, of course), plays Richard, who turns out to be Jocelyn's best friend at Skirt. He came in to audition for a smaller part, but asked if he could read for Richard. I said OK and he nailed it. He really brought alot to the party. All of the rest of the cast is terrific. Lots of strong New York actors. There are lots of fashion cameos- Tommy Hilfiger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kenneth Cole, Andre Leon Talley, etc.

The story is basically a romantic comedy about Jocelyn (Dominique) who is an intern at Skirt Magazine and her experiences at the mag. She falls in love with Paul (Ben) but he's involved with Resin (Leilani Bishop), a Supermodel with all the expected attributes. Does she get the guy? You'll have to watch to find out. Along the way, she's treated pretty poorly by most of the people she works for. I'm sure any of you who have been interns in your life will totally identify with this.

There's also a corporate espionage B-story about layouts for the magazine being sent ahead of time to Vogue.....Who's the spy?

I wanted to put a comedic commentary on the DVD, but there wasn't quite enough time to pull it off. Sorry about that. I'm told that there is some footage that was taken from the various events at the Sundance Festival-- interviews and stuff like that. I'll make sure to put the commentary on the re-release.....

Anyway, I had a great time making this film and I know that you'll have a great time watching it. It's not for kids (quite a bit of swearing and some gay characters- though my kids love it), but it's fun for anyone else. If you'd like to contact me about the film I've set up a special e-mail address. It's MIKESINTERN@AOL.COM. Please feel free to get in touch. I'm anxious to know what you think of my film.

Do not allow the opening musical sequence to cause you to turn off the movie! It is my opinion that this movie is worth watching to the end.

I know this a silly movie. I know the acting isn't the best. But I love this movie. The acting is so over the top and quasi-serious (or is that really how people in the fashion industry talk and act?!). I think that the only way to truly enjoy this movie is if you don't take it seriously.

The celebrity guest spots are fabulous - especially Joan Rivers. If you are skeptical about the movie and not too amused, you can't help but guffaw when she hits the screen (at least I couldn't).

The love story is predictable yet cute ... The whole Eurie (sp?) thing is a bit annoying, but it's almost worth sitting through that part of the plot when it's finally discovered who it is. Some subplots are interesting, others would have been better off as deleted scenes (if I recall, this DVD has no special features aside from interactive menus and the like).

So, I shall reiterate: If you are to enjoy this movie, you can't take it seriously. It is a fun movie and should be watched when you're in need of fluff.

Bad reviews abound for this straight-to-video feature - lot's of ugly sniping about the fashion business, gay stereotypes, superficiality, etc. But, please, let's get real here. Not every movie has to have deep subtext and meaning - especially not movies about the fashion business. Written and executive produced by Jill Kopelman, (daughter of the owner of the House of Chanel) and Caroline Doyle, the inside jokes and cameos run rampant in a movie that just misses being very clever. With a dreary romantic comedy subplot, Dominique Swain, most notable for *Lolita*, plays Jocelyn, an intern at *Skirt* magazine, who becomes involved in fashion espionage. A very thin premise, to be sure, with a John Waters-ish feel to it, but with a breathless E! TV approach to fashion and comedy. Also like a John Waters film, *Intern* depends heavily on onscreen slapstick and cameo performances- though since it's not John Waters, of course, we miss seeing Patty Hearst. Peggy Lipton is a pleasant surprise as Fashion Editor, Roxanne Rochet, a typical fashion victim, given to such statements as "Forget the herbal wrap - I want a Himalayan rejuvenation lichen-berry acid peel." She and her staff are complete caricatures of fashionistas (they are devoting nine pages of their current issue to making wheelchairs the chic accessory), but they are right on the money - especially Leilani Bishop as the vacuous, self-absorbed supermodel, and David Deblinger as the queeny art director. Paulina Porizkova, Anna Thompson, and comedienne Kathy Griffin are a little one-dimensional, but funny as well. Joan Rivers is Joan Rivers, and that's all we need to say about that. As stated earlier, it's not a particularly deep movie, but to paraphrase Karl Lagerfeld, fashion is not the same thing as feeding the hungry and curing the ill.

I can't really say much was "bad" about this movie. It was good for what it was. Sadly, I was just expecting so much more from it.

I bought this movie because I have been quite impressed with Dominique Swain in her last several rolls. Indeed I wrote a glowing review of the film Girl, a movie where I felt Ms Swain grew as much as an actress as her character did as a woman. Furthermore, Swain has always impressed me be it her initial starring role in the remake of Lolita to her smaller supporting role in Face/Off.

Sadly, the Intern fails to showcase that talent. Swain does not put in a poor performance, but she doesn;t seem to be working in the role either. She seems to coast through it. There are moments when I felt as though she would lose herself in Jocelyn (the intern) as she had lost herself in Andrea(her character in Girl) previously, and for perhaps a split second, maybe she did, but for most of the film she performs like a High School senior with dual 800 SAT scores in an intro to algebra class. The part is so simple for her that she doesn't have to work for it, and this seems to come through in the character.

One must also look at the films other two notable "stars" Kathy Griffitn and Joan Rivers.

Griffin actually provides the best performance of the cast and well she should as the part she was cast in seems tailor-made for her trademark style of humor. She provides a bit of 1-dimensional sarcasm aimed at the fashion world in which the film takes place. Her delivery combined to the script provide just the right touch of sarcastic humor. Any more would have annoyed the audience and detracted from the film, any less would have slowed down the film and called attention to the mediocre portrayal of other characters.

Joan Rivers on the other hand also plays a somewhat exagerrated version of herself (if that is even possible).. Sadly her character is so weak and her portrayal so obvious that she all but gives away the plot of the rest of the film in her first scene. I will refrain from mentioning her further now to keep from spoiling the film myself.

The story is a simple one. Almost too simple. There are too many obviously perfect situations set up. At the risk of giving a small spoiler, Jocelyn's love interest Paul (portrayed by Ben Pullen) is predestined from his first appearance when another character tells us that he is the only heterosexual male in the film. In perhaps the saddest moment in the film, Swain looks into the camera and says "He's straight?" and nearly begins to drool right then and there.

That said, the story isn't so simplistic as to not be enjoyable. The film presents a cute little love story with a mystery subplot that the viewer can be sure will all be tied up in a bow in 90 short minutes. Perhaps it is accomplishing everything that it intended to accomplish; providing the viewer with a mild amusing hour and a half to fill a Sunday evening. Sadly I was hoping for so much more.

One final word of caution. The film opens with an absolutely ridiculous musical number. Just sit tight and bide your time. It will end soon and never be mentioned again.

i just bought intern and watched it for the first time and found it very funny. the best part of the movie was probably all of the celebrity/fashionista cameos. phillip bloch, simon doonan, kevyn aucoin (ahh!)...it made the movie that much more interesting. and who could forget andre leon talley, who was just fabulous! the story was rather predictable, but it was still a cute sorta girl meets guy, girl wins guy kinda story. if i have one quip about the movie it is the horrible, horrible, horrible dubbing job! it was driving me crazy towards the end because it was VERY noticable that the sounds were coming out at a rate that was nowhere near the rate of the film. it was just very weird.

Honesty...sincerity....back to the front! Don't want to be negative about this comedy movie, because however good or bad it is... it has the positive and kind nature. But speaking from the very inside of myself... the whole picture is quite frustrating. The reason is the ordinarity of it. The plot is more predictable and Hollywoodish it can ever get to be. It misses any smart and interesting twists that the other work of Director Lange is full with. I would understand the ordinarity if it was the sarcastic parody of it, but it is mostly not.

My highlights:

- Some music spots...

- Amazing energy of a gay friend of the main character: David Deblinger

- Dumb fashion guy touching the rose and saying: "Pink." and - No doubt, the main character: Dominique Swain.

Her way of dealing with the movie is enjoying acting whatever it takes.

However, I am deadly sure that 100% fans of her acting, and personality, and sometimes just looks are DYING to see her blossom in the unique, smart, complex: "GOOD" movies!

So she can share her talent with more people on the world, and make lots of money! :)

...therefore S.O.S stands for " Save Our Swain!"

it's crap, but it does star Kathy Griffin and Joan Rivers. So, it can't be all bad.

I won't claim that this is the worst movie ever although many would award it at least a honorable mention. I watched this because "Dominique Swain" is one of the stars; she is the only one associated with this thing who has actually been able to find real work in the industry since its release. This was her first real career stumble and she probably wishes now that she had used an assumed name and worn a mask.

Imagine film students Leah and Vincenzo from the cable show "Film School" (The Tisch School of the Acts at NYU) collaborating on a feature length pseudo-documentary as their class project. They talk Swain into going with them to a New York City fashion magazine office for a couple of days. They tell the office staff that everyone has won a free week of acting for the camera lessons. They get another $10,000 from Parker and Jennifer to buy film (Parker's Visa card again), and reuse their script from 1999 when they made the unwatchable (and fortunately unwatched) "Fashionably LA".

Apparently the objective of the screenplay is to show the "real world" of fashion modeling through the eyes of an intern. The intern is played nicely by Swain who manages to inject some wry humor into many of her scenes and to somehow restrain herself from totally overwhelming the inexperienced cast around her (hence two stars instead of one).

The problem is that the premise, "blowing the lid off the fashion magazine scene", is of interest only to insiders who already know everything the film is about to reveal. Which is pretty much the same with any vocation. What next, a movie that "blows the lid off the Cincinnati CPA scene"?

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

When i first bought this i was expecting so much from one of my favorite actresses, boy was i disapointed. To me this movie was so boring that i pretty much fast fowared through half of it. If you want to see something like "Lolita" or "Girl", then this movie isn't for you as is it wasn't for me.