NURSERY UNIVERSITY
Produced & Directed by Marc H. Simon & Matthew Makar
Written by Simon
DVD Released by Docuramafilms
USA. 90 min. Not Rated
Special Features (90 + min.): Tips from the Experts: Advice for Getting into Nursery School. Commentary by the filmmakers. Q & A with the parents, admissions officers, and filmmakers. Deleted scenes. Trailer. Film bios  
 

“There’s one spot in the morning class and, maybe, and we’ll have 200 applicants.” Those are the daunting odds explained to parents frantic about the challenges in enrolling their two-year-olds in one of Manhattan’s elite preschools.

In this informative documentary, filmmakers Marc Simon and Matthew Makar follow five adorably oblivious tots and their anxious parents on a year-long quest for acceptance. The group is varied and includes the offspring of a Harlem bartender and an Upper Eastside investment banker, all part of the post 9/11 Manhattan baby-boom—there are roughly 15 toddlers for each available spot at the finger-painting easel. The stakes ratchet up because many moms and dads are convinced that the right nursery school serves as a launching pad for the Ivy League.

Lighthearted but earnest,  the filmmakers succeed beautifully in calibrating their interviews within the context of what’s really at stake—the right school for pat-a-cake and play dough. The musical score, by Chris Hajian, sets the perfect tone for the merry-go-round of interviews, playdates, and for when the rejection letters arrive.

It would be easy to exploit the vulnerability of these parents, but Simon and Makar resist that temptation and instead offer a compassionate, evenhanded, and upbeat look at the process. The film might well become required viewing for Manhattan’s newest moms and dads. The DVD extras include helpful advice from the experts, who address the embarrassing predicament of a little Einstein filling his diaper during a critical interview. (Insiders tip: excuse yourself to change it, before the smell overtakes the entire room.) You’ll hear from admissions consultants, who typically charge $4,000 per-child to impart their wisdom, and the all-important decision makers about what can set your child apart from others in a packed playground. Deleted scenes of note include parents kibitzing about their school applications and a postscript about one family leaving Manhattan, in part, for greater educational opportunities. Elisa Klein
July 3, 2009