Review of Admission (2013) by Mike D — 23 Mar 2014

There's no denying Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are two of comedy's most successful actors at the moment. That's why it was surprising they starred in the unsuccessful 'Admission' in 2013.

The film more or less suffers from an identity crisis, as it tries to be a romantic comedy and drama at the same time, and thus loses out on a lot of the real comedic potential it could have. Part of the issue is that Rudd and Fey do not share a lot of chemistry with each other, regardless of the fact that their characters went to Dartmouth together.

Another reason is the character of Jeremiah (played by Nat Wolff), an awkward child prodigy who is a student at Rudd's character's alternative high school and has dreams of getting into Princeton, where Fey's character has been an admissions counselor for 16 years, is used as a pawn of sorts to focus on the relationships of Fey's and Rudd's characters.

True, there are some good supporting roles, including Wallace Shawn as the outgoing dean of admissions at Princeton and Lily Tomlin as the gun-toting, free spirited Susannah - Fey's character's mother.

But there are a lot of annoying parts - including the fact that the characters make constant treks between New Jersey and New Hampshire as if they were just down the street. Sure, there's a message in here somewhere, but it gets lost in the sloshiness of everything else.

Despite its intentions, 'Admission' does not pass the test, and should be denied an audience for this reason.