Admission 
Starring: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Michael Sheen, Gloria Reuben, Wallace Shawn
Directed by Paul Weitz
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 117 mins
Genre: Comedy
Opens March 22nd
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film fans! In this week’s new releases we have the first project up from Tina Fey since the ending of “30 Rock”. Director Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Being Flynn, Little Fockers) teams up Tina Fey and Paul Rudd for the comedy “Admission”.
Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) loves her job as a Princeton University Admissions counselor. When she finds out that she is in the running for a promotion against her rival Corinne (Gloria Reuben), she knows that she needs to play her cards very carefully. Everything seems to be going well in her life as she set out to visit high school campuses to sell the prestige of Princeton to hopeful applicants. Until she visits a new school campus, New Quest High School run by John Pressman (Paul Rudd), who mentors an unusual student that he, wants Portia to meet. Jeremiah (Nat Wolff) is a highly gifted student that may have a more personal connection to Portia than she realizes.
After the trip to alternative high school, Portia finds herself delving into unknown emotional territory, taking on uncalculated risks that may jeopardize her career and shakeup her home life with longtime boyfriend, Mark (Michael Sheen). Will Portia be able to keep it together until the big promotion or will the recent life altering revelations be too much to handle?
If you’re one of those people who think that all the funny parts of the film are in the trailer, you’re only half right. Casting Paul Rudd and Tina Fey against each other would make for comedy gold, but it’s their relationships with the supporting cast that is more humorous and fun to watch. This is a more subtle comedic tone, with more serious scenes balanced out with Fey’s trademark snarky tone. In the scenes that Rudd and Fey are together, the chemistry is palpable, fun and pings back and forth like a well matched team. The supporting cast of Michael Sheen, Lily Tomlin, Wallace Shawn and Gloria Reuben enhances the comedic situations that Portia and John find themselves in, creating a good mix of laughter and drama. Be sure to check out “Admission” when it opens in theaters starting Friday March 22, 2013.
