Admission

Tina Fey—one of America's comedic treasures—deserves much better material than this relationship dramedy. As a gatekeeper for one of the Ivy League's most prestigious universities, Portia Nathan (Fey) works in the Princeton Office of Admissions, headed by retiring Dean Clarence (Wallace Shawn). The likeliest candidates to succeed the dean are Portia and Corinne (Gloria Reuben). Portia lives uneasily with a philandering English professor (Michael Sheen), while coping with her free-spirited, avidly feminist mother (Lily Tomlin). On a recruiting visit to New Quest, a newly accredited, experimental, utopian high school in New Hampshire, Portia reconnects with her former Dartmouth classmate, idealistic teacher John Pressman (Paul Rudd), who confides that he has reason to believe that 18-year-old Jeremiah Balakian (Nat Wolff), a gifted yet awkwardly unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Jeremiah is applying to Princeton; while his test scores are incredible, he's also an autodidact and his grades just aren't good enough—which places Portia in an ethical pickle as she attempts to plead his case. Based on Jean Hanff Korelitz's novel, director Paul Weitz's Admission is an inconsistent, anti-elitist comedy that feels forced and contrived, even though Rudd oozes charm and Fey's smart, snappy, screwball timing is unparalleled. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an “Early Admission” behind-the-scenes featurette with costars Tina Fey and Paul Rudd (12 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a so-so comedy.] (S. Granger)