Admission (2013): Dir: Paul Weitz / Cast: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Michael Sheen, Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn: Admission should not be granted to anyone with any common sense. This is a romantic comedy of sorts that stars Tina Fey as an admission counsellor at a university but the title really suggests the news of a son she gave up years ago and is reintroduced to in a shot of possible motherhood. Paul Rudd plays a missions type worker who travels about the world helping orphaned children and such. He contacts Fey with the belief that one of his schooled teens is her son. He desires to enrol him in the university for which she works in hopes that maybe she will take another crack at the mother thing despite the boy's lack of knowledge of it. This becomes very irritating especially with humour that hits inappropriate timing. Fey is a fine comic talent but she is horrible here playing a character who is not only unlikeable but a decision she makes in the conclusion destroys any sympathy for her. Rudd is equally bad as a good hearted sort yet totally lacking in social standing. One poorly aimed joke regards him throwing a horse ornament on the floor. Other roles are also pathetic with not even Lily Tomlin as Fey's crass mother able to surrender any humour. Director Paul Weitz seems to be creating a female version of his About a Boy and floundering badly at it. This is the worst example of his talent. It is as if he was heavy drinking during the shoot. Its message regards a re-introductory to motherhood despite a childless lifestyle. The result is a film that should be admitted to a trash bid. Score: 2 / 10

Admission was rated rape-free by rapefreemovies. It does not include any mention, attempt or fact of sexual violence.Review: I wasn't expecting much from this comedy, but I was positively surprised in the end. Let's face it: there is nothing new there. Though the characters are true and attaching, and the story has some unexpected turns. This is the kind of movie you like because it just makes you feel so good, nice and positive! The movie also talks about education, and how today kids are formatted, and any kind of different intelligence underestimated, which I haven't seen often actually.

Some movies are mismarketed, and Admission was definitely a movie mismarketed. You can't market a dramedy as a mass-market comedy simply because it has Rudd and Fey in it… or as a romcom, because it is barely a romantic comedy. Fey and Rudd have zero chemistry in the film, and share only a few "romantic" scenes together.The film is about regret and self-discovery. I know, mindblown, right? Well, the truth is that the film isn't about Rudd and Fey hooking up, it's about Fey's character coming to terms with a baby she gave up for adoption while in college. Rudd doesn't contact Fey because he wants a booty call… he wants to introduce her to someone (Wolff) he believes is the son she gave up. And there are a lot of similarities, and suddenly someone who doesn't want kids, wonders what her life would like with a kid in it… and if she could possibly make up for lost time.It's not a bad plot, but Fey and Rudd barely commit to it. I mean, these two have worked together before and they have zero chemistry. Yes, they can both talk sarcastically at each other, but they can't fake sexual chemistry. So the film fails as a romcom. As a dramedy about self-discovery, it almost works. It falls to be taken seriously, because of silly supporting characters. Fey is surrounded by characters written in such a way that you have to hate them, or not take them seriously. Tomlin was clearly a terrible mother. Reuben is a heartless adversary. Shawn is the silly boss. Sheen is a silly "clearly not right for her" boyfriend. Walger is another heartless adversary. Krupa is a horny old man. Even Rudd struggles to be likable. The only characters likable are Fey, and Wolff (who is written so closely to Fey's personality, in an attempt to push the mother/son angle).It's not a bad film, but it's not a great film. If I was a studio head, I'm not sure what I would have done with this finished product. I probably would have sent it back for reshoots, because it doesn't know what kind of film it wants to be. Taking a second pass at the film would have helped it more than just releasing it and mismarketing the film. I don't know what director Paul Weitz was doing here. He's directed much better films before, notably American Pie and About A Boy. Especially considering how About A Boy is close in tone to what Admission wanted to be, it's even more disappointing that this film just didn't work. As it is, you can totally skip this film. I can't really think of a reason to recommend it, even though I'm not completely tanking the film in grading.

I thought the movie was more of a romantic drama than a romantic comedy.My husband & I felt this movie was a story about a woman's awakening. Portia thought she had the life she always wanted, but she was confronted with her past & her perfect life started unraveling. However, as she faced reality, she discovered a new life that was richer & fuller than the life she had known.I liked how this story showed that Portia's awakening was a messy process because sometimes it is. I liked Portia & John's characters and how they both grew as people. I thought the cast did a great job!