Admission

ROMANTIC COMEDY

Let Someone In

8.5 out of 10 | DVD or Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Language and sexual material
Release Date: March 22, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 57 minutes

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Director: Paul Weitz
Writers:  Karen Croner based on the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Cast: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff, Michael Sheen, Wallace Shawn, Gloria Reuben, Lily Tomlin, Olek Krupa, Travaris Spears

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SYNOPSIS:  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.

REVIEW: Little Fockers and Being Flynn director Paul Weitz goes experience the college life with Tina Fey (Megamind) and Paul Rudd (This Is 40) in a serious, slightly romantic comedy focused squarely on Reed Hall Admissions building on the Princeton campus. Written for the screen by One True Thing writer Karen Croner based on the novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz, an admissions officer's ordinary life is turned upside down when she finds out that a young man might be the son she gave up for adoption years ago.

Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) lives a structured ordinary live as an admissions officer in Reed Hall of Princeton University. She doles out judgement for the thousands of yearly applicants (and parents) who prepare their entire adolescent lives to pursue a coveted spot as an accepted incoming freshman to the university. She is organized and focused, looking to take over the Dean of Admissions position when Clarence (Wallace Shawn, The Princess Bride) retires. Portia is in competition with another admissions officer, Corinne (Gloria Reuben, Lincoln) who is also looking to find her way into the Dean of Admissions office. Looking to prove that she is right for the job, Portia takes an invitation from teacher John Pressman from an alternative development school named Quest. When she arrives with her rehearsed speech of 'how to get into Princeston', John admits that he invited her to the school in order to meet a unique young man Jeremiah (Nat Wolff, New Year's Eve) who may be the boy Portia gave up for adoption years earlier. He also tells her that Jeremiah is a brilliant young mind who wants to go to Princeton. Trying not to break admissions protocol, Portia tries to help Jeremiah and John through the admissions process while trying to resolve whether to tell Jeremiah that she is his mother.

Tina Fey, making a more concerted effort to move from the small screen to the big screen, follows in her Date Night co-star Steve Carell's footsteps by ending a run on a popular NBC comedy in order to focus more on feature films. After leaving Saturday Night Live, Fey was still anchored to her creation 30 Rock, keeping her from fully immersing herself in silver screen projects. Plus, she loves her place on Fire Island! Even with occasional cameos on SNL, Tina Fey is now on track to use her talents and acting gifts for the cinematic masses. A huge fan of Fey, I love her subtle mastery in her blending both comedy and drama. Unlike other comedy actresses Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, who are more physical and whimsical in their craft, respectively, Fey brings with her a more down to earth, calculating and clever wit to her performances.

Admission is not an uproarious romantic comedy. The trailers try to market it as such because of the marquee names on the poster with Fey and Rudd. Those looking to cry their eyes out with pratfalls and hilarious hi-jinks will be disappointed. That reaction should be blamed on the marketing. As with many genre comedies like Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine, Admission is touted as a full-on comedy. I am sure there are reports that would tell me that marketing this film as more dramatic would have disastrous, but Admission is a fine nuanced heart-felt tale with dramatic pinnings and comedic highlights - and could have been highlighted as such.

The story is the nucleus of what makes Admission a good film, but the performances are the protons and electrons that keep the movie in motion. Fey shows more range in this film, from her support of a bovine giving birth to her passionate plea to the admissions board as to why Jeremiah should be considered for the offer of enrollment. Paul Rudd, fresh off the not-as-funny-as-Knocked Up sequel, redeems himself as the teacher with a perchance for a nomadic life helping the less fortunate, while somehow missing the point of finding a place to call home. Nat Wolff is wonderful with an non-ironic performance of a young man with the instinct to learn. Lily Tomlin, as Portia's mother, is somehow both subtle and outrageous in her performance - adding a wonderfully antagonism to Portia's origins. Gloria Reuben's Corinne could have been used as more of a sharp edged foil against Portia, but Paul Weitz's direction allows cooler heads to prevail for the final product.

Admission is a class act, allowing Fey to graduate at the head of her dramatic and comedic class. She may struggle with the thoughts of confronting the young man who may be her son, but she has come a long way from Baby Mama.

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This is 40

ROMANTIC DRAMEDY

Life Goes On

★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 | Movie - DVD - Rental

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Rated: R Pervasive language, crude humor, sexual content and some drug use.
Release Date: December 21, 2012
Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes

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Director: Judd Apatow
Writers: Judd Apatow
Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Jason Segel, Robert Smigel, Megan Fox, Graham Parker, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks

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SYNOPSIS: Pete and Debbie reach their 40th birthdays which occur a week apart. As they reach this milestone in their lives, they realize that their lives aren't as perfect as they thought they would be.

REVIEW: Writer/director Judd Apatow hit the big screen running with the 2005 The 40 Year Old Virgin and his 2007 follow-up Knocked Up. He has since created funny situations with his writing and with direction of short films. Now, Apatow returns with his self-proclaimed "sort-of" sequel to Knocked Up in the form of a peek into the continued lives of Pete, Debbie, and their two slightly older kids in This Is 40.

Pete (Paul Rudd, Wanderlust) and Debbie (Leslie Mann, The Change-Up) are both approaching their 40th birthdays that take place a week apart. Debbie runs a fashion boutique and Pete had quit his job as a Sony executive to start his own record label. As Debbie pronounces that she is turning 38 years old again, Pete can't understand why his beautiful wife is so concerned about it. They deal with the angst of raising a budding teenager Sadie (Maude Apatow, Funny People) and younger sister Charlotte (Iris Apatow, Funny People), while dealing with financial worries at both of their businesses. As the birthday party looms closer, the family dynamic worsens as teenage Facebook threads, mooching father Larry (Albert Brooks, Drive), absentee father Oliver (John Lithgow, The Campaign), financial worries, and a fracturing marriage all add to the dread of actually turning 40.

This is 40 is Judd Apatow's way of immortalizing the sometimes bitter milestone of venturing into the start of the fifth decade of one's journey in life. Instead of creating brand new characters, Apatow revisits old friends we already have history with. Pete and Debbie were there for Ben Stone (Seth Rogen, For a Good Time, Call...) and Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl, One for the Money) when their initial drunk encounter resulted in an unexpected pregnancy and birth. Now, a few years later, we return to Pete and Debbie's home to watch both start a spiraled descent into a form of mid-life crisis as they both reach 40.

Apatow was smart to self-promote This is 40 as of the 'sort-of' sequel to Knocked Up. This new film is not as sophomoric humorous as Rogen's blundering and Heigl's stammering in the face of an unexpected birth. But if you watched Pete and Debbie in Knocked Up, their lives take on a similar tone in this return to their lives. This comedy is more dramatic than comedic, but still has a few moments that you will snicker or chuckle at. Heavyweight comedian Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) comes to bat the humor out of the park as a disgruntled schoolboy mother who confronts both Pete and Debbie with hilarious results. Stay for the end credit blooper reel of a principal/parent conference that is the actual highlight of the film.

There are other sequences meant to be funny, but they don't live up to what Apatow has created on screen in the past. Several subplot lines seem unnecessary and only serve as fodder for possible hit-and-miss laughs. Debbie's employees Desi (Megan Fox, Jonah Hex) and Jodi (Charlyne Yi, Semi-Pro) are at the center of misplaced money at Debbie's store. Pete's Unfiltered Records employee Ronnie (Chris O'Dowd, Bridesmaids) seems unable or unwilling to market Pete's passion artist Graham Parker, at the risk of the label going under. Jason Segel (The Five-Year Engagement), playing trainer/spiritual guide/life coach Jason, tightens Debbie's buns and offers a few silly lines and smirks but didn't seem crucial to the story. A lot of things are happening, as is the case in most of our lives, but most don't seem necessary to an audience's review. Boil down some of that 134 minutes and Apatow may have had a quicker paced and tighter film.

As Apatow moves on to more personally important, more comedic/dramatic fare, he may be leaving behind that part of his audience fan base that thrived on his sophomoric palette of humor. Sure, there are a few fart jokes, potty humor, a close inspection of a planetary constellation orbiting around Paul Rudd's bottom, and everything that Melissa McCarthy pulls from her arsenal. But as the message of parental regrets, hormonal teenagers, financial uncertainty, and the fears of facing the future takes center stage, the drama of real life didn't seem as funny as it used to be.

Apatow is known for clever, witty, and funny looks at life's situations. From middle-aged virgins to expecting fathers, from agents turned hairdressers to pot smokers at the wrong place at the wrong time, Apatow ramps up the absurdity of most situations. With vulgarity, potty humor, or drug and sexual references, he still captures and relays a tender message of hope. This time, his film is more on point and dramatic, sometimes missing the opportunity to capitalize further on the silly. Unhappy spouses, risk of financial ruin, and the angst of raising children in a preservative-filled digital age needs a bigger injection of laughs.

This is 40 is a worthwhile movie in the sense that it takes a slice of 'real life' and deals with relationships and responsibilities across several generations. There could have been less clutter to make the film better. There could have been lighter tones to make it better. You will enjoy it if you know what you should prepare for.

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Wanderlust

Sudden Freedoms

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Rated: R Sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use.
Release Date: February 24, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins

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Director:  David Wain

Writers: David Wain, Ken Marino
Cast:  Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Alan Alda, Malin Akerman, Ken Marino

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SYNOPSIS:  When George finds himself out of a job, he and his wife Linda must vacate their life in New York City to etch out a life under his brother's roof and employment in Atlanta. A simple twist of fate brings them to a voluntary community where they feel they can start fresh.

REVIEW: David Wain, director of Role Models and Wet Hot American Summer, returns to the big screen with a screenplay he wrote with Role Models co-writer and actor Ken Marino. Re-teaming with Paul Rudd, Wain and Marino bring forth a raunchy and fun romp based on repression and shedding of inhibitions.

New Yorkers George (Paul Rudd, Dinner for Schmucks) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses) try to make a living in the Big Apple, buying a small piece of real estate nearly beyond their employment means. When Linda's documentary is not picked up by HBO and George's job suddenly disappears due to an FBI investigation, they are forced to leave New York City altogether and head down to Atlanta to live with and work for George's brother Rick (Ken Marino, Role Models) and his wife Marissa (Michaela Watkins, Enlightened). On the way down to Atlanta, George and Linda unsuspectingly come across Elysium, a bed and breakfast that is actually a commune. They stay the night and have a wonderful time before packing up and making the final push to Atlanta. When George is pushed to the breaking point by his brother's sarcasm and success, he tells Linda to pack up again to head back to the voluntary community where they seems to find happiness for the first time in some time. But as they settle into the 'what's mine is your', free love community, George and Linda both have revelations about each of their lives and their relationship together.

Wanderlust is a raunchy romp in the spirit of films you come to expect from Rudd, Wain and Marino projects. Filled with full frontal nudity and references to what is on display 'down there', Wanderlust still has plenty of laughs and nervous interactions between Rudd's George, Aniston's Linda, and a menagerie of characters that truly flesh out the silliness of the story. Self proclaimed non-hippie Seth (Justin Theroux, Your Highness) leads the pack with his quasi-mystical ways, enamoring Linda and off-putting George. Carvin (Alan Alda, Tower Heist) owns the Elysium but can't find the deed to the place. Sexy and free-loving Eva (Malin Akerman, The Proposal) enjoys life and hopes to share some of her free-loving with George. Rounding out the cast is Kathy (Kerri Kenney, Reno: 911!) as the hippie-dippy matriarch, ex-porn actress and current earthy hempstress Karen (Kathryn Hahn, Our Idiot Brother), pregnant Almond (Lauren Ambrose, Where the Wild Things Are) and her super laid back partner Rodney (Jordan Peele, Little Fockers), and nudist wine-maker aspiring writer Wayne (Joe Lo Truglio, Paul).

Not taking itself too seriously Wain brings plenty of hilarious bits to the screen, including a acoustic guitar Spin Doctors showdown between George and Seth, and a pep talk between George, a mirror and the topic of 'doing it'. Rudd has great comic timing as the frustrated straight-man. Alda still has his Hawkeye Pierce M*A*S*H chops as he moves around in a Rascal. And Aniston, with years of Friends under her belt, brings radiance, beauty and her own sweetness to the mix.

Through all of the silliness, there is a more serious undertone trying to harsh the hazy buzz. George and Linda struggle with the repressed issues of their relationship. Attorneys for a casino look to break ground on the commune property and scatter the residents to the four winds. Seth looks to assert his alpha maleness over Linda, with or without George's permission. And George and Linda deal with how they can create a productive and positive experience at the voluntary community.

Wanderlust takes advantage of the creative juices that most of the cast bring to set. Some scenes make the entire film worthwhile, making you giggle long after the scene in over. The story is light, but also suffers from a lack of closure on a couple of subplots, especially between Rick and Marissa, and between George and Rick.

Funny and silly, and filled with quirky characters and strange happenings that make outsiders like George and Linda wonder why they continue to make the decisions they do, Wanderlust entertains. Keep in mind that the full frontal nudity may shock more sensitive viewers, but barring extra appendages in one's face, you will surely get a rise out of this comedy.

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WORTH: Matinee or Rental

Dinner For Schmucks

Let's Go Straight To Dessert

[Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis, Jermaine Clement]

Image from www.usatoday.com

RANT: Woke up later than expected, went to the gym, got breakfast, ate breakfast, showered, and got into the theater just as the trailers were starting. I didn't want to bother the people already sitting "behind the rail" so I regulated myself to the second row above the crossway. I also refrained from buying a bucket of popcorn, but because of all of the calories but because I love movie trailers almost as much as the movies themselves. I mean, they do have an awards ceremony for the people who create the trailers!

SYNOPSIS: Tim, in an attempt to impress his bosses, steps up at a meeting to bring in new business. Recognizing his potential, the executives from the seventh floor invite Jim to their monthly "Dinner for Winners" where each executive finds and invites a guest with a strange or unusual talent so they can be made fun of.

Jay Roach, director of the Austin Powers movies and "Meet the Fockers", brings Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell back to the screen through a script by relative newcomer movie screenwriting duo David Guion and Michael Handelman. Does the film deliver? Read on to find out.

Paul Rudd stars as Jim in typical Rudd fashion, similar to his roles in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Role Models". He is misguided in what it takes to be happy, focusing on moving up the corporate ladder rather than his relationship with his girlfriend Julie (played by Stephanie Szostak). In his attempt to impress his boss, he agrees to bring a guest to a monthly executive dinner so that the rest of the suits can be amused and make fun of them. Just as Tim decides that this dinner is not for him, karma hits him as he hits Steve Carell's Barry in the street with his Porsche as Barry tries to save a dead rodent from being flattened. Channelling Jim Carrey's Lloyd Christmas with oversized teeth and a tight angular haircut, Carell's Barry is both clueless and well-meaning.

There are two lines that epitomized the film." The first is "... everything happens for a reason...". Because this film is formulaic, the first line applies and is adhered to. We know that all of the damages to Tim's career and relationship caused by the over-anxious Barry throughout the film will lead to a third act resolution. But it is both fun and heartbreaking to see Tim's and Barry's lives unfold as their lives also unravel. Lucy Punch as Tim's stalker, Darla, is particularly funny and scary as she shows up both to Tim's apartment and a business brunch date with a perspective European client because of Barry's meddling.

The second is Lennon's "... you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...". Barry misquotes the Lennon lyric upon "bumping" into Tim's car, leaving out everything after "not" and serving to sum up Barry's life. His wife has left him for his IRS boss, Therman, due to his passion for his rodent modeling hobby and for the fact that Barry couldn't help his wife find something of hers that Barry suspects was in her purse. Therman, played by Zach Galifianakis, is both less and more manic than his "The Hangover" character, Alan Garner. He is more in control as a master of the mind, but more outrageous. As the story nears its inevitable conclusion, Barry realizes that his dreams and passions are important to him and Tim realizes that he too can be a dreamer. A literal interpretation, perhaps, but rather fitting in the scheme of things.

The film is funny in a silly way, finding itself more in company with "The 40 Year Old Virgin" than with "Knocked Up" or "The Hangover". But for every giggle or laugh, there is a certain tone that the movie is saddled with. It may be the fact that we know Barry is going to be made fun of at the dinner, not as a roast to him, but as the subject of ridicule. It's not unless Barry and his lot are in on the joke that they seem more funny. Interestingly enough, the guests that the executives bring to the dinner all have talents that none of them possess. Whether it's a blind swordsman, a ventriloquist, a psychic who speaks to dead animals, or a taxidermist with an eye for mice in apparel, it is a fact of life that it is easier to chastise unusual talents than to applaud them. But as we also see, there are those brave enough to be as unique as those with the odd jobs and strange skills.

Worth: Matinee or Netflix

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!