Dreamworks and Reitman Get an Intern
Filed under: Comedy, Deals, Newsstand, Dreamworks
Dreamworks has picked up the latest successful pitch from The Office staff writers (mark my words, those people are going to be ruling the comedy world soon); said pitch was brought to Dreamworks by Ivan Reitman and his Montecito Pictures, through which the film will be produced. This one was dreamed up by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and is called The Intern, a title from which most of you can probably figure out the plot without any further help from me. The movie will tell the undoubtedly hilarious story of "a middle-age, stay-at-home dad who decides to return to the work force and is forced to start as an intern." This is the point at which I almost write something like "Gee, a story about the humiliation of a sad-sack middle aged man? Why, that's a original idea." But then I remember that all Hollywood ever does is reuse old ideas, and that it's silly to put up a stink. Plus, every once in a while one of the retreads works, so I suppose there's a tiny glimmer of hope here.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-24-2006 @ 6:53PM
RisingSunofNihon said...
As you said, that's definitely not an original idea and only elicited a half-hearted "meh" from the person reading this post over my shoulder. Wasn't there a friends episode about Chandler starting out a new job as an intern. Meh again.
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7-25-2006 @ 1:18PM
Jeremy Adam Smith said...
OK, as a stay-a-home dad, I'd love to know why a "stay-at-home dad" who reenters the workforce has to equal "sad-sack" dad. The number of dads who choose to stay at home with their kids has been increasing every year for over a decade; estimates are as high as 2 million, though that number is hard to certify. As these guys get back to the workforce as their children grow, they are going to face many of the problems women have traditionally faced. Taking care of young children is hard, wonderful work, and it has to be done by the parent best qualified and positioned to do it, male or female. Is a mom reentering the workforce also automatically a "sad sack"? Do you see my point?
We'll see what the film is like. The Office is interesting for its compassion for the characters; even the boss from hell is a figure to be pitied, and in the British Office his personal growth (portrayed in the Special) is moving and hilarious to see. Hopefully the filmmakers will bring the same mature perspective to the satire of this film.
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7-25-2006 @ 1:43PM
Martha Fischer said...
Sorry, Jeremy -- of course I see your point. My implication was not that I think stay at home dads are sad-sacks (I certainly don't), but that I think the character will be portrayed that way in the film. Because, let's face it, a comedy about a competent, driven man who's really good at his job would be unlikely to earn six-figures from a Hollywood studio!
(And thanks for pointing out the typo. Dammit.)
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