Admission

Portia is in many ways a typical [Tina] Fey character but the unfunny and clichéd script too often reminds us this is no 30 Rock.

It is neither a broad comedy nor a dopey rom-com; it's actually, surprisingly enough, a seriocomic drama in something resembling the Alexander Payne mold, a slightly eccentric examination of flawed people doing their very best.

At the heart of the problem with this movie are matters of logic and cogency.

Have you ever wondered how the admission procedure functions in Ivy League universities? No, me neither.

Intermittently sharp but often dully over-extended.

The comic material really isn't there, and the plot transitions feel forced and uncomfortable ...

If Admission had become an edgier film, I have a strange feeling that we'd be watching yet another really great Tina Fey comedy.

Despite the formulaic structure-every character is a type, paired off with his or her textbook opposite-there's a whiff of inside-baseball realism to the its detailed portrait of the university admissions process...

Admission has some funny moments and it has some poignant moments. Unfortunately, the film never seems quite able to determine what its focus should be. This results in a movie that never quite clicks.

While Rudd and Fey may not have the most fiery on-screen chemistry, they're always enjoyable to watch. I'd call this one a rainy-day rental.