Admission

 

Director Paul Weitz has a talent for making very human stories about relationships that are filled with both pathos and humor.  He first showed this ability with 2002's wonderful About a Boy, and followed it up with 2004's In Good Company.  His latest film, Admission, is in the same category, and while it's not as strong as his earlier films, I still liked it enough that I'm recommending it. 

The movie is being marketed as a breezy romantic comedy starring two wonderful talents, Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.  In a way, I can understand the studio's decision to do so.  The two have a very likable presence together, even in interviews, so who wouldn't want to see them in a comedy together?  The thing is, Admission is a hard movie to peg.  Yes, it does have elements of a conventional romantic comedy, but at the same time, it can't really be labeled as such.  It tackles a wide variety of subjects and emotions, some better than others.  Audiences will come looking for laughs, and may be surprised to find that the movie is a semi-serious look at life, relationships, and the feelings of loss and regret.  The laughs are there, but they are small.  This is not a laugh out loud movie.  Rather, the movie uses humor to lighten the mood when things start to get too serious.

At the center of the film is a young man named Jeremiah Balakian (Nickelodeon TV star, Nat Wolff).  Jeremiah goes to a special high school that sort of looks like a summer camp, and where the students are encouraged to debate and lecture in their pursuit of knowledge.  His dream is to go to Princeton University after he graduates.  He certainly has the makings for a fine college student, having aced the SATs and AP exams, despite having never taken any Advanced classes.  The only thing holding him back is that Jeremiah has a very long history of a low GPA, multiple suspensions throughout his school career, and other blemishes.  The principal at Jeremiah's school, John Pressman (Paul Rudd), is one of the few people who believes in the kid, and feels he's destined for great things.  He's the one gunning for Jeremiah to aim for Princeton.

Fortunately, John has a connection at the University.  An admissions officer at Princeton named Portia Nathan (Tina Fey), just happens to be an old classmate of his, and he tracks her down, insisting that he meet his oddball yet brilliant pupil.  Portia arrives at the school, not sure what to expect, and gets a little bombshell of her own - John has come across some information that leads him to believe that Jeremiah (who was orphaned shortly after being born) may just be the son that Portia put up for adoption when she became pregnant while back in college.  Portia brushes him off at first, but as she looks at Jeremiah's birth record, and spends time with the kid, certain pieces do fall into place.  Her maternal instincts kick in, and before long, Portia finds her job a lot more difficult, as she must judge Jeremiah on his academic record, not on personal emotion.

Admission is a movie that seems to be pulled in a variety of directions.  Is it a comedy?  The scenes between Fey and her feminist, shotgun-toting mother (played by a very funny Lily Tomlin) would seem to suggest so.  Is it a romance?  Fey and Rudd do have great chemistry together as they find themselves drawn together into a possible relationship.  Is it a satire on the University acceptance process, and the extremes some students (and their parents) will go to in order to get noticed by a prestigious college?  It has its moments there, too.  Is it a drama about a woman who begins to question the choices she has made and the path she has followed in life?  That too.  All this, and we even have a plot where Portia is gunning for her boss' position, when he announces he is ready to retire in the coming year, and has to deal with a rival.

By all accounts, the movie should not work.  It's cluttered, and its tone is far too inconsistent at times.  And yet, I found myself drawn in by Fey and Rudd, as well as the supporting performances by Wolff, Tomlin, and Wallace Shawn (as Fey's boss).  The movie may be rough around the edges, but it stays grounded by a very honest and heartfelt tone through most of the film.  The movie may also be sloppy, but it never feels dumbed down.  The characters are as smart and likable as they should be, and I think that's what carried me through the film's rough patches.  Through it all, this is a warm and likable movie about intelligent people who actually get to act intelligent.  Yes, the movie is contrived at times, but it also took a few steps that I didn't expect and actually enjoyed.

 

I have no idea if Admission will find an audience.  I'm kind of rooting for it.  No, it's not a great movie, but I left the film feeling pretty good.  There's actually a scene in this movie that describes how I feel about it.  A Princeton professor is made to watch Jeremiah give a ventriloquist sketch inspired by a philosopher.  The skit is awkward, sloppy, and just plain strange, but in the end, he has to admit that he liked it.  I kind of know how he feels.

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