It’s a good feeling when a fading legend proves that he still has something left to give. Robert De Niro (Cape Fear, Taxi Driver) is one of the most accomplished and legendary actors of all time, having earned seven Academy Award nominations for acting, including two wins (The Godfather: Part II, Raging Bull). He has proved that he can be successful across many genres, including drama (The Deer Hunter, Cop Land), comedy (Analyze This, Wag the Dog), action/adventure (Midnight Run, Ronin), and mystery/suspense (Heat, Sleepers) to name a few. He can play some of the most likable characters we’ve ever seen (Leonard Lowe in Awakenings, Jack Byrnes in Meet the Parents) as well as some of the most reprehensible, violent, and hostile characters who we will never forget (Max Cady in Cape Fear, Ace Rothstein in Casino, Al Capone in The Untouchables and many, many more). Unfortunately, he has become (what my friend Tim affectionately refers to) a movie whore in recent years. One can hardly fault him for his work ethic and desire to earn a paycheck, but most of us would be amazed to know that De Niro has made more than 20 films since 2010’s Little Fockers. Only two of these films (Silver Linings Playbook for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Limitless were the only two that earned more than 60% on Rotten Tomatoes). While he was excellent in each of these two films (and pretty terrible in the other 18), Nancy Myers’ (It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta Give) The Intern reminds us just how endearing and versatile that De Niro can still be. He is a part of cinematic history who people will take about in 50 years the same way that we talk about James Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, and Clark Gable today. Perhaps De Niro will be even more revered because today’s cinema has allowed its actors to portray characters with much fewer restrictions.
Continue reading The Intern (2015) →