logan j. fowler gets schooled …
Plot: When hardcore Princeton admissions officer Portia (Tina Fey) comes in contact with her possible son that she gave up for adoption years ago, she begins to work the tough as nails application system in order for him to go to the elite school she works at.
Admission is kind of a movie that flew under the radar. It was released only a week ago and I had trouble locating it in the nearest (I drove a half hour to see this movie, not complaining, just clarifying) theater. With two stars whose comedic chops obviously have spanned tons of fans, why didn’t the movie make more of an impact? Who knows, but thankfully Admission is a solid film.
I say this a lot; if you don’t know already, I’m a huge fan of Paul Rudd. In the movie, he plays the head of the school Fey’s “maybe” son attends. Now while he’s definitely got some great moments here, this is ultimately Fey’s movie. She carries it really well, being funny, sympathetic, and she has a great back and forth with Lily Tomlin, who plays Portia’s mom. Tomlin steals every scene she’s in as a senior citizen who acts pretty much like a teenager, and even treats her own daughter like a friend rather than her offspring. The two have a very emotional scene towards the end of the film and it’s just really well done.
I’d also like to pay honor to Travaris Spears, who plays Nelson, Rudd’s adopted son, in the film (jeez this whole movie reeks of adoption issues). The young actor is charming and holds his own against the bigger name stars, and he resembles a young Don Cheadle. I hope to see more of this kid in the future, he did a fantastic job.
So is Admission worth the price of … admission? I think so. There are plenty of laughs, and while the crowd that attended the screening was very small (I think my lady and I laughed the most), there were “awwws” and guffaws coming from others so it wasn’t just me and my company liking it. The cast does a really great job of keeping it afloat, and I have to applaud the subtle, not quite Hollywood type ending that the movie provides. The major flaw is that while this ending occurs, it does feel like the loose ends are wrapped too quickly and nicely to get to the credits. It’s not perfect, but I’ll check “accept;” Admission was well worth the trip to the cinema.
Rating: 7.5/10
