Saturday, March 23, 2013

Admission

What to do on a cold Saturday evening.....oh I know! Go see Admission with my best friend from high school! I wanted to see this movie and went into it with an open mind. To be totally honest, I had not heard much about it. I saw a few previews but I was very excited to see that it was produced by Focus Features. Focus is probably my favorite production company out there....they probably tie with Marvel Studios...anyways!

Admission is about a very uptight Princeton admission officer name Portia Nathan, played by Tina Fey. She has been living with her boyfriend Mark, played by Michael Sheen, for ten years. She enjoys finding the right kids for the school but she is tough as nails. She wants applicants that will go above and beyond and have a flawless past.

Portia goes on high school visits to many schools on the East Coast. A new school she has heard about is called Quest. The school is a mix between the commune in Easy Rider and the new age ideas of South Harman Institute of Technology in Accepted. They teach about third world water purification, gardening, and how to birth a cow. This charming yet unorthodox school is run by John Pressman, played by Paul Rudd. John is a world traveler that adopted his son, Nelson in Africa and is working with an adopted kid named Jeremiah to get into Princeton. I feel like that is all I can say about the movie without messing up some very big plot points for you. So there ya go!

The film was very charming and I would not say it is a comedy. The way I would describe it would be as a Dramedy....yes that is a real genre....you can Google it. There are so many very serious moments in this film with a splash of comedy tossed in. It was also advertised as a Romantic film and it really isn't. The focus is about Portia trying to rebuild herself. Taking a look at her life and finding what is really important to her.

Tina Fey is charming, as always. She is able to give a moment of truth and still have undertones of humor without ruining the deeper purpose behind a scene. Her comedy does not overshadow her dramatic acting. Paul Rudd is just so darn adorable! He still looks like the 22 year old from Clueless. This movie was such a great switch for him. So many of his recent movies have been over the top funny that he comes off as completely ridiculous. This movie shows that he really is a brilliant actor that can bring so much love and heart to the screen. He's the man you want to take home to your mother. When he wasn't on screen, I missed his character.

Admission also has an experienced cast of dramatic actors. We have Michael Sheen as Mark, not my favorite character but he played it beautifully. Lily Tomlin plays Portia's mother Susanne. She is raw and Bohemian. She brings this hippie free love that contrasts Portia's uptight personality. Susanne was a breath of fresh air during the stuffy drama moments.

Over all the movie was charming and teaches us that some things are worth fighting for. If you feel like you want to go see a movie with a lot of heart, love, and some comedy this is for you.

Over All B-