I don’t know how I should do it but I’d like to give “Admission” faint praise.

Maybe I should mention it’s by far Tina Fey’s best film. No that’s not the reason I’m looking for.

A film that has the hallmarks of a classic jerk Michael Sheen performance? No “Midnight in Paris” and the cinematic classic “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” are far superior in that department.

Well what is it?

Honestly, I was just satisfied with a decent movie that somehow managed to subvert my expectations. The most comparable films to this for me would have to be “Dan in Real Life” or “About a Boy,” similar movies that balanced between comedic and more dramatic moments. Either way it is nice to see an actor or actress who we normally associate with comedy go the dramatic route and do a good job.

The basic storyline of “Admission” is Tina Fey doing her utmost impression of a Princeton admission’s officer with a stick up her ass. It was a rather interesting choice to make the lead character so initially unlikable and when inevitably her live-in boyfriend of a decade breaks it off with her because they are clearly distant at this point, you really have a hard time feeling sympathy for her.

In making her unlikable the transformation from the stuffy and organized professional that over trims her bonsai tree and uses air canisters liberally to a more caring and maternal figure is rewarding.

Also although it’s been noted for years, Paul Rudd has been coasting by on his Judd Apatow connections but it’s a nice reminder to see him play something other than a doofus man-child or a completely boring straight man like his contemporary Jason Bateman.

Their will-they won’t-they doesn’t seem all that organic and the sexual chemistry is lacking, but they work off one another well comically so by the end I bought what sort of relationship they were going for.

The movie initially breezes along almost beat for beat like a typical rom-com but then–and I won’t spoil it–breaks away from the conventions of that genre by the final act.

I can’t really explain it but once credits rolled I felt that in some ways it was a far more effective film than what something like “Larry Crowne” tried to be.

I would encourage Tina Fey in her quest to break away from the mold of her Liz Lemon/Sarah Palin characters to keep on doing films in the vein of “Admission,” a slightly forgettable but ultimately pleasant experience.