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, Gloria Reuben, Paul Rudd

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 | mother son relationship | cheating boyfriend | mentor | 

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Taglines:

Let someone in.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Admis pe pile

Filming Locations:

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

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

Gross:

$17,954,990 (USA) (17 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Depth of Field

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In a scene at an admissions computer, the operating system is clearly viewable as "Windows 7 Home Premium." This software is illegal for business use, and lacks several features that an office would use. It is unlikely that Princeton University would be using illegally licensed software. In the same scene, it shows that the university keeps its admissions records in an Excel spreadsheet.

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Soundtracks

"Naturally"
Written by Christopher Cosgrove and Dan Marcellus
Performed by Future People
Courtesy of VU Music

User Reviews

Bland Dramatic Rom-Com

Greetings again from the darkness. Though it's billed as a comedy, you would be best prepared walking in if you expect a dramatic rom-com. The mere presence of Tina Fey and Paul Rudd would elevate most any script and movie. They are inherently likable and talented, and that's a lucky thing for director Paul Weitz (About a Boy).

The movie plays like a coming-of-age flick ... not for the gaggle of high school students ... but rather for Tina Fey's character. She plays a Princeton admissions officer named Portia Nathan, and it's her job to weed through the files of thousands of over-achieving 18 year olds who are dreaming of attending the prestigious Ivy League school. Her serious approach to her work is complicated by a competition with her inner-office rival (Gloria Reuben) and by a going-nowhere relationship with Michael Sheen.

All of that sounds pretty straight-forward, so it takes a left turn when Portia makes a campus visit to the Quest School, an experimental campus run by ultimate good guy John Pressman (Paul Rudd). Pressman is the guy who rebels against his privileged childhood and bounces from world-changing missions to life-altering experiences. His current stop as an administrator for a school filled with off-beat genius kids is focused on Jeremiah (Nat Wolff). Jeremiah is an autodidact (reads everything) who was never understood by mainstream schools, but has his particular intelligence recognized at Quest.

So Paul Rudd approached Tina Fey in hopes that she will take an interest in Jeremiah's passion for learning and overlook his lack of satisfactory resume. There are also side-plots featuring a possible genetic link and a couple of strained maternal relationships from both Rudd and Fey, the latter's mom played with zeal by Lily Tomlin.

There are no real surprises here, but the movie benefits from Fey, Rudd, Tomlin and the always fun Wallace Shawn. The whole elitist college admissions process is fascinating, but really impacts only a very small segment of society. Because of that, and the limited laughs offered by the script, it's difficult to imagine the film gathering any real following.