Admission

2013 "Let someone in."
5.7| 1h47m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 22 March 2013 Released
Producted By: Depth of Field
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Straitlaced Princeton University admissions officer, Portia Nathan is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the freewheeling John Pressman. Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah, his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago.

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Reviews

Micitype Pretty Good
Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Saarah N This film may not be of the best, but it does hit the second mark. It is moderately funny, not over the top. It has romance in it, but not to the point of it being cheesy. And, then there's how this film can be described to be quite serious but even so, there's still more to the story line. The cast was well chosen, and did a great job.The four stars are only because I felt the ending came abruptly. There were so many loose ends that needed to be tied, I wanted more.But I feel the story was good and the message that we only involve ourselves in a cause if it involves someone we love, or offers us something in return. I wasn't sure if this realisation was a good thing, or if it was to show how corrupt some systems can be, or even just that we as humans are selfish people. But then again, there's more to a film than the message it entails.
Mr Black I like this type of movie. Not too heavy, no one murdered, blown up, killed, poisoned, or decapitated, which seems to be the drawing point of most modern movies. I thought Tina Fey was really good in this and it suited her very well. So was Paul Rudd. It was good to see Lily Tomlin in this film as well, and as usual Wallace Shaw is as good as always. I found a few thing just a little off putting. Seriously,, the old white guy adopts black kid thing again? Wow,, a little overdone don't you think? We got that out of our system during the Different Stokes era. Also, the kid was not Princeton material, let alone any college material. Come on,,a cheesy dummy act was his special talent? If anything, it just makes you realize why you shouldn't send your kids to Princeton U. That school only turns out people like those who have already gone there. Rich brats who get in when the parents grease the right palm. But as movies go, this was okay.
inspectors71 I have to admit it (no pun intended) that I love writing my snotty little reviews on IMDb. It's a release; no guilt here.Therefore, I won't be snotty when I tell you that, other than appreciating Tina Fey's pretty face, Admission is utterly forgettable. I saw the movie with my wife when it came out, and I had to read the synopsis to remember some of the details of the plot.Oh, well.It's something of a message movie and a chick flick and a heart- warmer, and darned if I know why it didn't gel. It had all the things that make a movie a ticket-seller--attractive performers and tugged heart-strings, but, here it is three years later, and I just don't have any positive feelings about Admission.I'm wondering if it's the fact that I am, as a high school teacher, and a blue-collar-focused one at that, increasingly anti-college. Why would anyone want to spend that much money for a 4 year degree? Why would anyone want to, even with a full-ride, not get a job and earn one's general university requirements from the most inexpensive community college one could find?I think that's it. While so many folks are wrapped up in getting their kiddies into the best universities with the best reputations and the best safe places without micro-aggressions, I want kids to get to work living, earning the money for each credit, and feeling that they can give themselves the credit for being grown-ups as soon as possible after high school.Maybe that's why Paul Rudd and Tina Fey dropped off my radar as I went through the theater door after the flick. I didn't care and I don't care about anything in this movie except maybe . . . when Fey gets photographed from behind, were they trying to hide her butt? Is that a micro-aggression?
Bryan Kluger Tina Fey and Paul Rudd star in this rocky comedy from 'American Pie' director Paul Weitz, which jumps between being a heartfelt drama and gross out comedy far too often. Based on the novel of the same name by Jean Hanff Korelitz and adapted to a screenplay by Karen Croner, 'Admission' tells a tale on the ins and outs of being accepted into college, especially one of the most notable and best colleges in America. Even with top notch talent rounding out this little film, I only expect modern returns at the box office due to its subject matter.This isn't the first time we've seen this story play out, however this is a little bit different than what we're used to seeing. Instead of a college acceptance movie focusing on the students and parents, we focus on a teacher and one of the employees of the famous Princeton University admissions office. We all know how difficult it is to receive an acceptance letter from any college, let alone Princeton, and when the deadline approaches for admissions officer Portia Nathan (Fey), she seems to have things regimented and under control. Meanwhile, Portia is competing herself for acceptance for the dean of admissions position played by Wallace Shawn. However, her colleague Corinne (Gloria Reuben) puts on a fake smile and is as passive aggressive as it gets, as she wants the promotion as well.As I said above, even with crucial deadlines and thousands of applications to go through, Portia seems to be incredibly organized as she has been doing this job for many years and it just comes natural to her. As we see her touring a few high schools, talking what the secret to getting accepted is, her only answer is "be yourself", one piece of advice she will soon have to follow.An old classmate of Portia's by the name of John (Rudd) calls her up and asks her to visit a new-age school he is teaching at, especially to meet one of their brightest students Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), who hopes to attend Princeton. We find out that Jeremiah is adopted from middle-class parents who cannot afford the high price of Princeton. Not to mention that he has less than average grades, but is an autodidact with flawless test scores around the board.Everything seems on the up and up until a couple of strange situations hit Portia full force. There is an awkward sexual tension between John and Portia, which leads to a clumsy sex scene, and to top it off, John informs Portia that Jeremiah is her kid that she gave up for adoption in college. This sends Portia into a flaming nosedive of erratic emotions as she arrives home to find her boyfriend (Michael Sheen) of many years setting up for a big dinner reception, to which he chooses to tell Portia that he is leaving her for another woman, who happens to be in the room and pregnant from his seed.While trying to keep it together professionally and socially, Portia heads to her mother's (Lily Tomlin) house in the country for some hopeful encouragement. However, her mother, a feminist hippie who cares only for herself seems to do more damage than good when doling out advice. As John is trying win Portia's heart and keep his adopted kid happy, both tend to struggle to do what's right in an unusual situation, whether it be travel the world with a young one who wants some consistency or cheat the system for a loved one.On a whole, the story is a decent one, however the execution in telling this tale is a bit of a mess as it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. One one hand we have two endearing people talking about love and their future as we immediately transform a tender dramatic moment to a silly gross out scene that involves giving birth to a baby calf by people who should not be doing this job. It takes us out of the essential storyline for a cheap laugh. That's the major downfall of 'Admission'.Fey and Rudd do very well as deeply and emotionally flawed characters who always seem to do the right thing at the last minute, mainly being their ability to turn on a nurturing side to them that we don't see very often. Wolff does an outstanding job as the awkward teenager who sees things clearer than most and who has a love of ventriloquism. The one that steals the show is Tomlin. Her wicked banter on how much she has suffered and been through it all is amazingly funny. Her selfishness knows no ends as she has resorted to letting her pet dogs fend for themselves on small critters for food in her backyard.There are some funny jabs at college admissions and acceptances, even some at Princeton's expense, while Fey and Rudd turn in solid but awkward performances. 'Admission' is enjoyable for the most part, but i don't see people clamoring to see it a second time. The heart and soul is here, however its realization was clumsily handled.