The Internship: Reviewed By A Former Google Intern

The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, was a nice comedy that provide a moderate amount of laughs that may have been perceived better by the public had it been released a good 5 years ago. I actually enjoyed this movie but that may or may not have been influenced by my former internship and wanting the movie to succeed.

The following is my comparison to an actual Google internship and how it compared to the movie. Spoilers (themes) may lie ahead:

1. Getting an interview

In the movie, both characters manage to get an interview relatively easy despite the fact that most applicants don’t even get to that highly competitive point.

2. Interview questions

Actually pretty accurate. Google’s infamous interview questions, which many deem as pretty strange, are actually meant to help the hiring managers understand your thought process and how you think on your feet. They are less about the answer, and more about the thought that goes behind them. The example used in the movie – “If you were shrunk down to the size of a dime and thrown in a blender, how would you get out?”

3. Orientation

The orientation in the movie seemed way too formal and strict. The orientation leaders in the movie seem kind of like the bad guys but in real life they are some of the nicest people you will meet ,and do everything they can to ensure you succeed and have a great internship.

4. The actual internship

Google is not Hogwarts. Interns don’t get offered full time offers because they accumulate the most “points”. I thought I was watching the Triwizard Tournament at some points and wait ,did I just watch the interns participate in a Quidditch match? Weird..

The actual internship is more focused on a project or projects your team gives you, and the impact you have on the company. Something you work on as an intern can be released to the general public or have some long term impact on the company, which is unlike most internships where you shuffle papers around and bring your team coffee. It makes for a rewarding internship but a pretty boring movie. The competitiveness of the internship and the hard work that goes into it is pretty accurate though.

5. Benefits / fun

This part was pretty accurate. Everyone knows about the free Google food, free gym, and nap pods, but much like the Social Network, the movie tries to convince you that Palo Alto / San Francisco has this extremely crazy nightlife and that may be a bit of a stretch…

Overall, I had some good laughs and enjoyed reliving the internship I once had, but through some alternative universe where it overlapped with Hogwarts. Seven points for The internship! Rainy day and want a laugh? Check this movie out.