After the death of his wife of over 40 years, retiree Ben (De Niro) is struggling to fill the void in his life. After trying everything, he applies for a senior internship programme at a booming internet start-up and is assigned to work with its founder Jules (Hathaway), who is struggling to balance her career with her husband and young daughter (Holm and Kushner). Over the next months, Ben quietly wins over everyone in the office and becomes essential to Jules. He also finds an unexpected spark with the company masseuse (Russo).

Only one element of the plot has any proper conflict in it: Ben discovers that Jules' husband is having an affair, and her reaction intriguingly defies conventional wisdom. Otherwise, every element of this movie trickles along in a series of happy coincidences, with moments of offbeat drama, subtle romance and even a madcap heist sequence thrown in for no real reason. In fact, there's little here that feels either challenging or surprising, but at least it goes down smoothly.

De Niro has plenty of charm in the role as a 70-year-old who has plenty of life left in him. He manages to deliver each pearl of wisdom while maintaining his dignity, which is no mean feat. And he almost manages to resist Meyers' continual attempts to steer him into sappy sentiment. Hathaway gives Jules a nicely balanced edge: she's tough but never mean, overworked but still aware. In other words, Jules is actually far too nice. But then everyone is.

Meyers also laces the film with little scene-stealing moments for the supporting cast, although none of these talented performers are allowed to properly cut loose. So everything feels happy and entertaining, with moments that elicit laughter and others that make us think about possibly working up a tear. But it never feels even remotely realistic. Even so, what Meyers is saying is important: give older people a place in society where they can share their experience. That and the wry smile the film leaves on our faces makes it almost worth a look.

themes, language

22.Sep.15