Admission

Admission
March 22, 2013
Focus Features etc.
Comedy, Drama
DVD
B

Based on a book I've never read, this has a refreshingly not-quite-resolved ending.  It is happy, in a bittersweet way, but not all the problems have been solved.  I was on the fence about the grade, whether B- or B, because I'm not sure how much of my fondness for the film is for its cast, particularly those I've tagged.  Tina Fey is of course a soft-hearted Type A and Paul Rudd is an amiable, boundary-crossing idealist.  It's good to see them work together, but their romance is too much in the background for this to be a rom-com, or even a dramedy-com.  (Their relationship, in the sense of how they relate, matters, but not the romantic side so much.)  Perhaps needless to say, Wallace Shawn, as Fey's boss, and Lily Tomlin, as Fey's mother, are perfect, giving the roles much more than expected.  (The details are great, too, like the vintage late '70s picture of Tomlin on the back of her character's feminist classic, The Male Mistake.  Or her Bella Abzug tattoo.)  The supporting cast is good, too, notably Michael Sheen as Fey's ex that thinks she's not over him, and Gloria Reuben as Fey's rival.

The blend of humor and drama generally works and I felt like even the more exaggerated scenes (like a cow giving birth) rang true on some level.  At the time (two and a half years ago), I saw this shortly after Warm Bodies, and probably would've ranked that a bit higher, but now I find that this is the movie that stays with me more afterwards.  Warm Bodies is entertaining, but this one made me think more, even if it doesn't quite live up to its potential.  And, yes, I need to read the book someday, although I hope it's better than the print version of Warm Bodies.

Alex Hartman, who's a Princeton Applicant here, would be '80s Dancer Party Guest in Rudd's They Came Together, while Barbara Vincent, who's a Birthday Party Guest here, would be a Football Player there.

Yes, I didn't say anything about the whole "Is this kid her son?" plot.

Baby Mama

Baby Mama
April 25, 2008
Universal etc.
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B

In some ways, this is sort of the flip-side of Juno, although Amy Poehler is the working-class surrogate mother for the baby that single yuppie Tina Fey hopes to have, rather than an accidentally pregnant teen.  There are more stereotypes here, not just with Poehler's character but also with Romany Malco as Oscar the African-American doorman.  I do feel that the performances and the witty screenplay humanize and expand on these stereotypes, but I can see how some might object.  Similarly, the whole "ticking biological clock" thing can be seen as both '80s dated and anti-feminist, but Fey and the others manage to tweak this.  Similarly, the movie plays with rom-com tropes (most obviously in the "Endless Love" sequence) and applies them to two straight women who become unlikely best friends.  The two leads, friends in real life, play off of each other well, and are ably supported by (among others) Steve Martin as Fey's New-Agey boss, Sigourney Weaver as the 50-something but incredibly fertile manager of the surrogacy agency, the eternal Holland Taylor as Fey's mother, and Greg Kinnear as Fey's love interest, one of the more realistic characters, although not without humor.

Siobhan Fallon Hogan, who plays the Birthing Teacher, was (minus the speech impediment) Stanley's Mother in Holes.  Mark A. Keeton was Sloane's Dinner Companion in Music and Lyrics and is Denim Suit Guy here.  Fred Armisen, the Stroller Saleman here, would be the Pastor in Easy A.

Mean Girls

Mean Girls
April 30, 2004
Paramount
Comedy
DVD
B+

This may well be the most heavily quoted movie on the Internet.  (Mean Girls/ Harry Potter cross-over memes alone make up a good percentage.)  As such, it's a little hard to watch now because I kept waiting for various lines to come up.  That said, the script by 33-year-old Tina Fey, who plays Math teacher Ms. Norbury, remains not only witty but surprisingly complex, and not just for a teen movie.  Yes, there are such obligatory moments as the makeover and the Girl Vomits on Her Crush, but I like that the movie is willing to show the "mean girl" in every girl (and some of the guys), including our heroine, played by a pre-off-the-rails Lindsay Lohan.  Lohan as Cady (from Cady Woodlawn I wonder?) isn't afraid to play a complex, not always likable character who genuinely does suffer for her choices and make amends (unlike Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed).

It's also great how the supporting and even minor characters (you go, Glenn Coco!) all have chances to shine.  I'll note two performers in particular, since we'll be seeing more of them.  Amy Poehler at 32 is a little young to be playing a mother of a teenager, but it is a scene-stealing role and one of her great comic performances.  She and her SNL costar and friend Fey would often reunite, notably (for the purposes of this blog anyway) in 2008's Baby Mama.  And 18-year-old Amanda Seyfried, who plays dumb blonde Karen, would have much more opportunity to show off her wonderful singing voice in later movies, including Mamma Mia! (also '08).

Bruce Hunter was NSA Agent #1 in Good Will Hunting and is the Mathlete Moderator here.
William R. Phillips was Man at Diner in Romy and Michele and is a Student here, so he presumably looked young for his age.  Jo Chim, who plays the Saleswoman at 135, would soon be Ma Bang's Assistant in New York Minute.