"Admission" is an off-kilter mish-mash of a romantic comedy that careens from cloyingly sweet to disarmingly bitter. It's a watchable, inoffensive date movie that suffers from a busy, multipronged plot and a lack of chemistry between the leads.
For a moment, Lily Tomlin was 73 going on 40.
For a moment, Lily Tomlin was 73 going on 40.
"Admission" _ What should be a hilarious, long-overdue pairing of two hugely likable, superstar comedians ends up being a major disappointment. As much film and television work as they do individually, Tina Fey and Paul Rudd surprisingly never have worked together. In theory, her smart, zingy persona should mesh beautifully with his easygoing goofiness _ or their shared dynamic should bounce, or snap, or have some sort of life to it. Instead, Paul Weitz's direction of Karen Croner's script is tonally erratic: too fast in spots and too much of a slog in others. It certainly doesn't help that the characters feel like types without much nuance. Even reliable comic veterans like Fey and Rudd can't find much that's new or fresh in these people, and as a result they have zero chemistry with each other. Fey, as a Princeton University admissions officer, is always uptight, precise and emotionally closed-off. Rudd, as the do-gooder founder of an alternative New England high school, is always free-spirited, adventurous and open-minded. Even in the fantasy world of romantic comedies where opposites attract and sparks fly, these two have no business being together. Nat Wolff plays the odd, brilliant student who may be the son Fey's character put up for adoption as a newborn and Lily Tomlin provides the film's few moments of joy as Fey's maverick feminist mother. PG-13 for language and some sexual material. 100 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
What should be a hilarious, long-overdue pairing of two hugely likable, superstar comedians ends up being a major disappointment with "Admission."
You wanted resolution on the "30 Rock" finale?
You want resolution on the "30 Rock" finale?
"When stuff is coming to an end, people freak out and they act crazy," says Liz Lemon.
