The Internship: Behind the Scenes of a Generational Comedy
"The Internship" is a comedy film starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as two Gen X salesmen who find themselves unemployed and seeking a fresh start as interns at Google. While the film received mixed reviews, it offers a humorous and insightful look at generational differences, organizational culture, and the evolving landscape of the modern workplace. This article delves into the behind-the-scenes aspects of "The Internship," exploring its themes, its portrayal of Google, and its potential impact on how we perceive intergenerational collaboration.
A Generational Divide Bridged with Humor
At the beginning of “The Internship,” Wilson and Vaughn play classic Gen Xers, salesmen living in the moment and way beyond their means. They order an excessively expensive dinner believing that a big sale will put them back on track. Instead, they lose their jobs. Wilson and Vaughn’s characters don’t appear particularly bright, but they think creatively and move decisively. This, in spite of all their other limitations, gets them an internship at Google. It’s a totally implausible premise. Vaughn is no longer the “money baby” hottie from his youth, lassoing girls with his asshole-with-a-heart-of-gold routine. The millennials in the film are driven by the fear of failure. They’re practical, and because they have spent their young lives preparing to enter an uncertain job market, they haven’t learned how to enjoy themselves. The movie borders on the saccharine at times, but Vaughn, who also wrote the film, pulls it back just far enough to save it. A sincere bond forms not just among the characters, but among the actors as well. There’s a spirit of generosity and leadership from Wilson and Vaughn. They are the veterans bringing the newbies together and, in the story, teaching them about life, but behind the scenes I wonder if maybe they weren’t also giving them a kind of family experience that made everyone’s performance better. Vaughn makes a wonderful father and Wilson a sweet, protective older brother. Gone are the creepy perversions of the past, even when Vaughn and Wilson bring the kids to a strip club (unwittingly). Instead of seeing Vaughn and Wilson enjoying “forbidden” fruits, which would have been gross especially in this context, they become chaperones. They know the dangers of excess and instinctively keep everyone safe. As Gen Xers they didn’t have anyone saving them from themselves.
The film cleverly juxtaposes the laid-back, risk-taking approach of Gen X with the driven, risk-averse nature of millennials. In “The Internship,” Vaughn and Wilson integrate risk with teamwork when they steal a Google bus and take their group on a life-altering adventure through the city. That experience creates a bond that makes the whole group - and the individuals within it - work better. The millennials I knew loved working in groups and tackling party-style challenges. They were passionate about the company and believed in every initiative. But they tended to be more risk-averse than the Xers.
Google's Culture on Display
One of the most prominent aspects of "The Internship" is its depiction of Google's unique organizational culture. The film showcases various elements of Google's work environment, including its emphasis on diversity, teamwork, and creativity.
Diversity and Inclusion
The company provides an environment where people from diverse backgrounds can work together and bring forth great innovations. The movie shows how people from different background, color, ethnicities or gender have valuable lessons to contribute to the team. The movie aptly captures Google’s belief in unity in diversity. Vince and Owen are two Caucasian men working in a team of five with an Asian American boy and Indian American girl and a third guy who is always on the phone.
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Teamwork and Collaboration
Interns are grouped into teams of five and are given tasks to work on. Each team is given a task that draws from each member strong points and contributes towards the team’s success. Nick and Bill (Vaughn and Owen) use their history in sales to set up team building activities that help the team gel. In line with diversity is the importance of teamwork and team building. Once at the company offices, interns are grouped in teams of five people. Nick and Bill who are worldlier and have actual people skills as a result of their history as sales men tap into this skill to help the team gel with each other. They were able to do this by staging a team building session at the Google compound as well as take their team members out for a night of fun. This helped create harmony among the team members and enabling them to clear their heads and thus work and complete a task within one night and go on to win the challenge.
A Unique Work Environment
Artifacts are also a big part of an organization’s culture. Google aims to provide a laid back environment that encourages creativity and out of the box thinking. Starting from the company’s logo that is fun and colorful to the toys found throughout the office as well as nap pods for when they need to take a break and the building design with its bright and colorful. The dressing code also reinforces the company’s culture where employees and interns are allowed to report to work casually dressed after all a suit does not make you any more serious than the next person. The college-style Googleplex campus is presented as a magic kingdom in which pampered Googlers ride colourful bikes, slither down slides, gorge on free food and take a kip when they feel like it in specially designed pods.
Marketing Google: A Subtle Approach
Google takes product placement to another level in this movie. The movie was made with a lot of cooperation from Google with some terming the movie as one “beautiful Google commercial”. The movie includes scenes shot at the head quarter offices. The scenes shot make sure to highlight things that Google is known for: free food at the cafeteria; interns riding bikes provided by Google around the company’s mountain view; playing volleyball at the company’s courtyard.
That Google had a great influence on how it was represented; the company is represented in the most positive way. The film highlights the entire working environment that Google has worked hard to embody: an environment that empowers people from diverse backgrounds to; collaboration in a fun and creative environment to provide the best search engine and innovations. a light hearted environment that encourages creativity, and that is exactly what is portrayed in the movie.
It is also clear from the film that Google had a great influence on how it was represented; the company is represented in the most positive way. The film highlights the entire working environment that Google has worked hard to embody; an environment that empowers people from diverse backgrounds to collaborate in a fun and creative environment to provide the best search engine and innovations. Since its inception, Google has tried to create a light hearted environment that encourages creativity, and that is exactly what is portrayed in the movie.
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The Accuracy of the Depiction
Kyle Ewing, who heads up the company's internship programme, stated that the movie does a great job of portraying Google's culture. The film is in some ways a bit unfair. The sadistic brainteaser interviewing that it depicts has now been dropped. Its intense Apprentice-style contests are a mere fiction. Another invention is, however, more flattering. Interns are shown manning an impressively effective helpline for troubled customers.
Lessons for Job Seekers and Employers
"The Internship" offers several valuable lessons for both job seekers and employers. For those seeking employment, the film highlights the importance of adaptability, teamwork, and continuous learning. It also suggests that it's never too late to pursue a new career path or acquire new skills.
For employers, the film underscores the significance of creating a positive and inclusive work environment that fosters creativity and collaboration. It emphasizes the value of diversity and the importance of recognizing the strengths that individuals from different generations and backgrounds can bring to the table.
The "Googliness" Factor
Google also looks for "'Googliness' - a mashup of passion and drive that's hard to define but easy to spot." Presumably it includes the ability to display relentless jollity in an ultra-competitive environment.
Behind-the-Scenes Anecdotes
Dylan O'Brien, one of the actors in "The Internship," shared some interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes. He mentioned that most of the shooting was done at a recreated Google at Georgia Tech, which was incredibly impressive. He also had the opportunity to speak with real Googlers, who provided insights into the intern experience.
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O'Brien also raved about working with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, describing it as a dream come true. He noted that there was a lot of improv on set, which made the experience even more fun and collaborative.
The Importance of Teamwork
In “The Internship” millennials and Xers build a future together. Jokes aside, the movie could provide a blueprint for Xers and millennials to guide them to common ground as they learn how to navigate a post-recession world. Xers tend to be very self-sufficient, but I think it’s time we look to the younger generation to learn how to solve problems as a team. It’s time for Xers to pioneer a new kind of leadership - one that integrates teamwork and risk-taking.
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