Admission (2013)

A Princeton admissions officer who is up for a major promotion takes a professional risk after she meets a college-bound alternative school kid who just might be the son she gave up years ago in a secret adoption.

Director:

Paul Weitz

Writers:

Karen Croner (screenplay), Jean Hanff Korelitz (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tina Fey	...	Portia Nathan
Ann Harada	...	Mrs. Lafont
Ben Levin	...	Junior Lafont
Dan Levy	...	James (as Daniel Joseph Levy)
Maggie Keenan-Bolger	...	Girl on Tour
Gloria Reuben	...	Corinne
Paul Rudd	...	John Pressman
Wallace Shawn	...	Clarence
Elaine Kussack	...	Abby
Christopher Evan Welch	...	Brandt
Michael Genadry	...	Ben
Juliet Brett	...	Praying Applicant
John Brodsky	...	Smug Kid
Camille Branton	...	Gymnast
Sarita Choudhury	...	Rachael

Storyline

Straitlaced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the freewheeling John Pressman (Paul Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted -- but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having.

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Plot Keywords:

adoption | princeton university | working women | female protagonist | wedding | 

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Taglines:

Let someone in.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 2013 (Canada)

Also Known As:

A Seleção

Filming Locations:

Value Drugs, Bronxville, New York

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,154,984 (USA) (22 March 2013)

Gross:

$18,004,225 (USA) (31 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Depth of Field

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real Dean of Admissions from Princeton, Janet Lavin Rapelye, appears in a scene with Tina Fey.

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Goofs

When someone tells Jeremiah to tuck in his shirt he does, but it varies inconsistently between untucked and tucked-in in subsequent shots.

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Quotes

Portia Nathan: You all want to know the secret formula for getting in. To do your job well, an admissions officer must be on the receiving end of an entire nation's application panic, endure the frustration of all the parents who just realized there isn't room for every organically-fed, well-tutored offspring. Of course everyone thinks we're sadists, that we like saying no. We are in this job for one reason, to say yes.

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Connections

References Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1984)

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Soundtracks

Tigertown Blues
Written by Dick Armstrong
Performed by Dick Armstrong

User Reviews

Not a Whole Lot of Laughs

For those of you who are thinking that this film is a comedy, you would be wrong. It is more of a drama with some funny moments thrown in (although I never laughed out loud; not even once). As a matter of fact, by the time the film was over I was actually feeling a little sad. The story centers on an admissions officer for Princeton University, Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) who is responsible for combing through thousands of submission requests and evaluating who should be allowed to attend this prestigious school. On top of that, the current dean of admissions is retiring and Portia and her rival Corinne (Gloria Reuben) are both up for the job. Gearing up for her annual recruiting trip, Portia is contacted by John Pressman (Paul Rudd) to come and check out his somewhat fundamental and "earthy" school. Upon arrival John tells Portia that he thinks that one of the kids in his school is actually the child that she gave up for adoption when she was in college. Jeremiah (Nat Wolff) has been a slacker most of his life, but it turns out that he is a natural genius and was just bored in school most of the time. He gets very interested in attending Princeton and so the story begins. The film started out mildly comical, but as the story went along it became more and more serious. The two characters that did add a little light-heartedness to the film were Susannah (Lily Tomlin) who is Portia's mother and an eccentric soul. She is not much into relationships of any kind whether it is a mother/daughter or a romantic relationship. The other character that I really liked was Nelson (Travaris Meeks-Spear) who is John's adopted son who is just looking to be normal and to not go gallivanting around the globe all the time with his father. I think the cast as a whole did a really good job and the story was not boring, but I think that billing it as a comedy was the wrong way to go. The story was a lot more serious than I expected it to be, so I think that as word gets out, this film may not do as well as expected. It was not a bad film, but I am not sure that it is worth the price of a ticket. I am giving this film an amber light.