Movie Review – Admission, with Tina Fey & Paul Rudd!

Another romantic comedy?

Another Tina Fey romantic comedy?

Another Paul Rudd romantic comedy?

That was my attitude when I went to a preview of Admission.

“Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Paul Rudd (This is 40) are paired for the first time on-screen in Admission, the new comedy directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Weitz (About a Boy), about the surprising detours we encounter on the road to happiness. Straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school headed by her former college classmate, the freewheeling John Pressman (Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted — but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having.”

A Focus Features presentation of a Depth of Field production, Admission also stars Michael Sheen, Wallace Shawn, Gloria Reuben, and Lily Tomlin. The executive producer is Caroline Baron. Produced by Paul Weitz, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, and Andrew Miano, the movie is based on the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The screenplay is by Karen Croner. Admission is directed by Paul Weitz.

Guess what? I loved it. I was emotional at points, I laughed out loud many times, and the entire cast worked really well together. And Lily Tomlin was in it, I worship her!

It is not easy to bring something new to the table, but in this movie, director Paul Weitz has. The issue of adoption is rife throughout the movie and this made the ongoing issues for many of the characters especially poignant for me as an adoptive parent. Again, the movie really had me quite emotional at times.

And the background story of the school admission process hits home. The movie deals with the incredibly difficult process of trying to get admitted to Princeton University, but for this NYC parent, school admissions have been an issue since my son was born. Here in NYC everyone talks about the difficulty of the admission process for the “right” Pre-K, even Tine Fey. My family is currently dealing with prep for the state exams for the 4th grade that determines admissions for middle school. This is a topic that in one form or another, not just for college, is being dealt with by parents all over the country, it was great to be able to see it on the big screen and be able to take a step back and laugh at it.

I attended a press junket for this movie last month. We viewed the movie and then had the opportunity to chat with Director Paul Weitz, and with Tina Fey and Paul Rudd. Tina Fey and Paul Rudd were talking to different groups all day long. I hope we got to change it around for them when us “parent” bloggers were asking the questions.

The subject of the college admissions process was shown in both a harsh and also entertaining way. It was good to sit back and learn not to take the process too seriously, we in NYC have been reading about how parents start prepping their kids for pre-k admissions interviews starting at 2 years old in some cases, that’s how the issue has actually grown, it hasn’t been only about the “right” college for a very long time. And that is one of the reasons that chatting with Tina Fey was so appropriate, she is a NYC mom with 2 young daughters, and even though she is “Tina Fey,” she has had to deal with this issue starting when she was thinking about pre-k schools for her own children. So again, to be able to sit back and have a laugh at the process, which can be intense, and sometimes arbitrary, was cathartic for most of us!

During our press junket I was taken by surprise by how naturally and without effort Tina Fey had us all laughing. I have been enjoying her work on TV and in the movies for years, and to be sitting with her in the same room and to see how easily she could captivate us as we plied her with the same questions she must have gotten 100 times, was remarkable to me and showed me up close that she is wonderfully talented and can enthrall a crowd without trying. I really was impressed by her natural comedic skill and will never again second guess any role she has in a movie! Bring on more romantic comedies for Tina!

And I got to hang with Paul Rudd! Again, he is a parent and once the “celebs” get started chatting about parenthood with other parents, the conversation becomes more interesting for everyone involved. And it touched on what the movie was about, parenthood for those who choose it, and for those who might not.

And I got to personally thank the Producer, Paul Weitz, for the amount of coverage the issue of adoption received. He explained to me that one of his best friends was adopted so it was an something he had seen up close. That added a great dimension to the movie and added to its depth which made it more personal for me. The subject of adoption is so important however it is discussed, I always remark to my son how so many adoptees are in his school. I like the way the movie mainstreamed the subject.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I heartily recommend it to everyone, it is a great date movie whether you are married or not, I think it is something everyone will enjoy! Opens next week on Friday, March 22!

For more information please visit the Admission website.

You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, I know I will!

 

Disclosure: I saw a preview of this movie. All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

You knew there was a picture coming, right?