Admission - Movie Review

After dominating television comedies for years as a writer and actress on shows like Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, Tina Fey now has her sights set on being accepted by big screen audiences with Admission. Teaming up with Paul Rudd and the legendary Lilly Tomlin, Fey applies her own special brand of humor to the romantic comedy genre.

Portia Nathan (Fey) is an admissions officer at the prestigious Princeton University and has the inside track on taking over for her retiring boss. With one other candidate in the running, Portia decides to step outside the box to gain an edge, but when those steps take her all the way out to an alternative high school, she ends up meeting John Pressman (Rudd), a teacher who has been trying to get her attention for some time, and a student who might just be the unlikely recruit she's been looking for.

Just as her life is falling apart around her, Pressman breaks the news that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his prodigy student, may also be the son she gave up for adoption when she was a college student herself. Even with this potential revelation, she sees genuine ambition and true genius in the boy so she decides to risk everything to give him a chance at studying in the hallowed Ivy League halls of her employer.

There's also a love story wrapped in here as well as a mother/daughter reconciliation tale thrown in for good measure and surprisingly, it all gets balanced out pretty well which is mostly due to Tina Fey's hard work in making both her character and the movie as entertaining and likable as she can. While Rudd, Tomlin, and other actors flow in and out of the picture, Fey is the one constant and she proves more than worthy of carrying the load with equal doses of heart and humor.

Of course, there are moments of silliness that border on the absurd and you definitely don't want to have an overly critical eye when it comes to watching this movie. Admission is more of a kick back and laugh at all the fun being had type of story with just the right mix of genuine comedy and heartfelt story and should be yet another step in the right direction for Tina Fey as her star continues to rise.