We’re not sure exactly how long Paul Rudd and Tina Fey spent making Admission but the general consensus is that both stars could have spent their time much better elsewhere. The comedy, about a college admissions officer and her annual recruitment drive (plus, of course, an underlying story of the curveballs that life throws us on our unending quest for happiness), hasn’t gone down well with the critics and it looks as though Admission is going to sink without a trace.

It all looked so good on paper. Fey is flavour of the month, especially since her Golden Globes stint with Amy Poehler went so well; Paul Rudd is also always a popular choice and the movie’s directed by Academy Award nominated director Paul Weitz, the man responsible for About A Boy. The reality, though, was a paper-thin movie that simply couldn’t get the best out of its two co-stars. “ I'd see Tina Fey and Paul Rudd in anything, but this is pushing it. Admission is so slight that a breeze could flatten it,” wrote Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine, whilst Mary F Pois described it as “Another formulaic spin on Hollywood's 21st century discovery, the mom-rom-com, with its disagreeable underlying messages about women, careers and motherhood,” in TIME magazine.

It’s not all bad for Fey and Rudd, though they do appear to have wasted their talents on this movie, somewhat. It seems that they are “fun to watch” (New York Times) but on this occasion, it’s just not enough to get the plaudits rolling in.  

Watch the trailer for Admission

Tina Fey, Paul Rudd
Tina Fey and Paul Rudd at the premiere for Admission