After cutting her teeth as a performer and head writer for Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey went on to
create her own sitcom in 30 Rock, which
was inspired by her time on the venerable variety show. Though it was never a
huge ratings grabber, 30 Rock
garnered a loyal following, critical acclaim, and numerous awards. As Liz
Lemon, Fey added her own twists to the tried and true archetype of the working
female trying to balance her professional and personal lives. Unfortunately,
Fey takes several steps back in the depressingly formulaic Admission.
Fey stars as Portia Nathan, an admissions officer at
Princeton University. Her job is her life, even if it involves passing judgment
on wave after wave of potential students. Things are thrown into turmoil when
Portia's boyfriend, Mark (Martin Sheen), leaves her for another professor (a
scholar of Virginia Woolf, no less) he accidentally impregnated. At the same
time, Portia is asked to visit an alternative school in New Hampshire by its
founder and former collegiate classmate, John Pressman (Paul Rudd). While
visiting Pressman's Quest School, Portia meets a variety of unusual characters
including Pressman's adopted son, Nelson (Travaris Spears), and a prodigy by
the name of Jeremiah Balakian (Nat Wolff). Adopted by grocery store owners,
Jeremiah did poorly in public school, but possesses remarkable intelligence and
owns a ventriloquist dummy named after René Descartes. According to Pressman,
there's a strong possibility that Jeremiah might be the son Portia gave up for
adoption when she was a student.
The prospects look good for a comedy headlined by Tina Fey
and Paul Rudd. You expect witty banter and some sharp, off-the-cuff one-liners.
In other words, you expect a completely different movie. Admission is a dull affair that saps any personality away from the usually
hilarious Fey and Rudd. The movie, based on a 2009 novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
with a screenplay by Karen Croner (who also adapted the Meryl Streep melodrama One True Thing), trades on the stale
formula we've seen countless times in other romantic comedies. Fey is the type-A
female professional with Rudd as the unconventional love interest. There's a
healthy mix of slapstick tossed in for good measure such as an awkward
encounter in a cramp car and a scene where the leads bond during the messy
birth of a calf. The dialogue is blunt and it is clear neither Fey nor Rudd
were able to spice it up with their own ad-libs. At times, the script veers
into a satire about college admissions and the ridiculousness of distilling a
young person's entire life into a standardized essay. Sadly, this satire lacks
any bite and takes a backseat to rom-com conventions.
Admission was
directed by Paul Weitz, who previously directed American Pie and About a Boy
with his brother Chris. While his first film as a solo act, In Good Company, was a success, the rest
of his work have been misfires like American Dreamz, The Vampire's Assistant,
and Little Fockers. They can sit on
the bottom rung alongside "Admission." One of the only memorable
flourishes in the movie involves candidates appearing before the admissions
board and dropping through a trap door when they are denied.
Admission is saved
from being a complete dud by some of its supporting cast, such as Wallace Shawn
playing the type of role you expect from Wallace Shawn. Lily Tomlin is terrific
as Portia's mother, a radical feminist with her own unusual ideas about
motherhood. Plus, Martin Sheen essentially reprises his role as the boorish
Wesley Snipes from 30 Rock.
Despite conquering television, Tina Fey has yet to receive the
one lead role that would cement her status as a bona fide movie star. Considering
her best film yet is "Mean Girls," which she wrote, Fey is going to
have to make it happen herself. Right now, Hollywood is just handing her bland comedies
like Baby Mama, Date Night, and Admission.
She deserves better.
Rating: * ½ (*****)
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