Review: Admission (Movie)

Sometimes a romantic comedy is just the right kind of movie to take your mind off of everyday life. I don't expect too much from a rom-com: good acting, a few laughs, and a decent (though usually predictable) plot.

Last month, I gave Admission (directed by Paul Weitz; Focus Features) a try based on the great cast and the fact that movie is loosely based on the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I figured any movie starring Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Lily Tomlin, and Wallace Shawn would provide a good evening's entertainment.

The basic premise, which you get from the trailer (embedded below), goes like this: Portia (Fey) is an admissions officer for Princeton University who is vying for the position of director. She is tough as nails and only reluctantly responds to a call from an old college friend, John (Rudd), to interview an exceptional student, Jeremiah (Nat Wolff). When she begins to suspect that the boy may be her own child (given up for adoption seventeen years earlier), Portia starts questioning the entire college admission process. Oh, and she wonders if there's room for John in her life.

Although the acting in Admission was fun to watch, especially Tomlin as Fey's mother, the movie didn't really come together for me. Perhaps it was the ridiculousness of the pressure to get in to Princeton, or the idea that any other school would be considered second class, or the notion that there is no such thing as flexibility when it comes to giving a student a chance. I admit that the snooty factor was a big turn-off for me. Maybe the movie would resonate with younger viewers (those born after, say, 1963), but this baby boomer was not impressed with the whole Princeton or bust attitude (even as the subject of satire).

The other problem I had with Admission was Portia's journey. Without giving away spoilers, I didn't buy her behavior in relation to Jeremiah. In addition, her interactions with John didn't have the spark I like to see in a good romantic comedy. On the other hand, I think Fey and Rudd would make a good match in a film with a better script.

In the end, Admission didn't sweep me up and carry me away. If I had to rate the movie, I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars for the acting. So, although Admission isn't the worse choice one could make, I can't wholeheartedly recommend it.