By TJ Ford
Contributing Writer
The college admissions process is a part of life that remains an erie yet intriguing mystery. However, Paul Weitz’s attempt at a romantic comedy centered around this mysticism fails to capture the excitement and, thus, proves to be more mediocre rather than interesting filmmaking.
Although “Admission” is supposed to be a comedy, it fails to rile enough laughter to distinguish itself from any other type of film. There isn’t enough comedic material, with the comic relief mostly coming from unexpected supporting characters rather than the film’s stars. Overall, “Admission” features a predictable storyline with a mostly average script acted un-emphatically and directed poorly.
The film centers on Portia Nathan (Tina Fey), a Princeton admissions officer who lives her life strictly and conventionally until, while on a high school scouting tour, she stumbles upon John Pressman (Paul Rudd), the unorthodox principal. Nathan takes a liking to Pressman, and after a break-up with her long-term boyfriend (Michael Sheen), becomes romantically involved with him. She also becomes personally involved with an applying student, who she believes to be the son she gave up for adoption during her own college years.
Nathan’s job soon becomes compromised due to the conflicting interest with her love life. However, she continues to pursue a relationship with Pressman. The quasi-mid-life crisis that ensues causes her to lose her air of predictability and normality.
The humor expected from Fey and Rudd is unfortunately met with disappointment, as chemistry between the two actors, comedically and romantically, is entirely lacking. The two fail to bring any collective charm to the film.
To add to the film’s comedic demise, its basic plot is boring and predictable. Each seemingly climactic moment wherein Nathan could possibly redeem herself just leads to more failure. The constant wrong turns lead the story to be unfullfilling. The attempts at “tugging on the heart strings” only end up nagging more than feeling sincere and ultimately demonstrate just how little a grip Weitz has on the aim of his film.
Weitz spreads himself thin in his attempts at reaching such a wide array of emotions, and thus, he fails to fulfill the basic role of comedy: to create laughter.
The script is uneven throughout as well, with witty dialogue only occurring between nominal characters and never the two leading ones. The inconsistency in the level of comedy between the various characters and scenes further hinders the film’s imprecise and befuddling tone.
“Admission” had the potential to be a hilarious movie, utilizing talented actors like Rudd and Fey, but it instead stays a convoluted and unexceptional film. Along with the wasted talent and unreached expectations, the movie also lacks any grip on emotion, stemming from ill-fitting roles, a lousy storyline and even worse directing. As a film, “Admission” should be at best wait-listed, proving to be more average rather than a staggering success.
“Admission,” rated PG-13, opened on March 22 and is playing in theaters nationwide.
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