Admission is a Focus Features film that releases March 22, starring two of my favorite actors in the universe: Paul Rudd and Tina Fey. They really don’t need any introduction, especially for those of us familiar with Saturday Night Live and Judd Apatow films. And that’s likely a huge part of the thinking behind the film, because they are two of the best things about it.
Don’t get me wrong. The film is cute. It’s light-hearted, there’s some great comedic moments (often supplied by Fey’s on-screen mother, played by Lily Tomlin), all as you’d expect. In a nutshell, it’s about Fey’s character, Portia Nathan, an admissions officer at Princeton University, who’s up for possible promotion. Her happy little plans come to an abrupt halt when she comes into contact with a potential student, Jeremiah Balakian. Balakian is likely a student she’d never consider; after all, he was pretty much a failure until he was brought into John Pressman’s (played by Paul Rudd) unusual school in New Hampshire (complete with a fully functioning farm and world-centric curriculum). But he’s a genius, and is just the kind of alternative intelligence she could gamble on, so long as she can convince the rest of the admissions board. (Oh, and bonus, Jeremiah might be the son that she gave up for adoption while in college.) Cue conflict, romance, and hijinks, as expected per romantic comedy standards.
I had very high expectations for the movie because of the presence of Fey and Rudd, as I’m pretty sure I could be satisfied by them simply reading craigslist ads in funny voices for hours on end. Not to mention that I very much enjoyed Paul Weitz’s work on About a Boy, based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name. The press event I attended was full of their witty banter and discussion about the film. But there were two major issues that I just couldn’t get past, no matter how deep my affection for the actors.
First, there are the characters. Nathan and Pressman just didn’t make use of Fey and Rudd’s abilities. Nathan is frigid and often blind to the problems in her own life (especially her personal life with her long-time boyfriend, played by Michael Sheen). The character as written just doesn’t have any of the comedic depth that Fey is capable of. And Rudd’s character is so predictable and stock that you almost wish someone else were playing the part. You keep waiting for that moment beyond the expected, and it never happens. According to the actors and director, the first iteration of the character was even more bland. Which is a little tough to imagine, honestly.
And then there’s the Princeton problem. Jeremiah, played by Nat Wolff, is awesome. He’s brilliant and quirky and hilarious. He’s self-aware and mature in ways most kids don’t manage until they reach… oh, I dunno, maybe some people never reach it. He’s the kind of person you want to spend an afternoon with over coffee and talk about every aspect of the world, the universe, and honestly feels like quite a few people I actually know. Kids who flourished outside the box, who could change the world by merely asking the right questions.
So why the hell does he want to go to Princeton? I mean, nothing against the Ivy League. While I briefly had delusions of attending Yale, I realized quickly that there were many other options. Not to mention that one’s undergraduate experience matters less and less these days. But the premise of the whole film, without spoiling anything, and the catalyst for all of Nathan’s actions and motivations, has to do with getting Jeremiah into Princeton. Not Yale, not Julliard, not UNC or Georgia Tech or Hampshire College. It’s so pervasive a theme it almost comes off like one long advertisement for Princeton. We, as an audience, as supposed to want this. It’s supposed to be best for Jeremiah and best for everyone. As far as we can tell he makes no other plans for school. There are literally hundreds of other college out there, colleges far better suited to Jeremiah. I know, I’ve been to them. I mean, sure, maybe he’d end up changing Princeton, maybe it isn’t as stuffy as it comes across in the film (either pandering to minorities or legacy admissions candidates). But by the end of the movie, I really didn’t want Jeremiah to go there, no matter how much the other characters did. I almost felt as if they didn’t deserve him.
That may be the biggest fault about Admission. It’s supposed to be about recognizing missed potential. And it is. Just not in the way it was supposed to be.
