The trailers made Pitch
Perfect look like Glee: The College
Years, which sounds about as entertaining as being waterboarded. However,
this peppy little picture might be one of the nicest cinematic surprises of
2012.
The adorable Anna Kendrick stars as Beca, an aspiring DJ and
record producer. Beca strikes a reluctant deal with her estranged father (John
Benjamin Hickey), a professor at the fictional Barden University. Beca will
attend for at least one year in order for daddy to pay for her move to Los
Angeles.
At Barden, a capella is king and just about every clique is
involved. The big men on campus are the Treble Makers while the most glamorous
gals are The Barden Belles. There's even a stoner group known as The High
Notes. The Belles saw their chance at winning nationals go up in smoke when co-captain
Aubrey (Anna Camp) projectile vomited on stage. Aubrey isn't too happy when her
best friend Chloe (Brittany Snow) recruits Beca and a motley crew of girls to
rebuild the Belles. The new team must pull together if they want to make it to
the championship in New York City. It won't be easy because Aubrey runs the
team with an iron fist. She steadfastly sticks to a rigid regime with the
Belles portrayed as prim and proper while performing ditties by Ace of Base and
The Bangles. Meanwhile, Beca wants to change things up with a hipper and
livelier set list.
Pitch Perfect was
based on the non-fiction book by Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at GQ, who covered a season of competitive
collegiate a capella. Yes, that's a real thing. It was adapted for the screen
by Kay Cannon, a writer/producer for 30 Rock and New Girl. She injects a
quirky sense of humor to the film, which is skillfully handled by director
Jason Moore, best known for the stage musical Avenue Q. Moore keeps the picture energetic as evidenced by a
montage as hopefuls audition to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone."
Pitch Perfect
works because there isn't a cynical bone within its body. Yes, the whole idea
may be silly, but the movie never treats its characters with any sort of snarky
condescension. Perhaps, the most ridiculous sequence in Pitch Perfect is the Riff-Off as various groups do battle while
armed with musical bullets from Rihanna, Salt-N-Pepa, and Foreigner. It might
seem like an eye-rolling endeavor, but it's hard not to join in on the fun when
everyone on screen is clearly enjoying themselves.
Anna Kendrick is an absolute delight though her star-crossed
romance with Treble Maker Jesse (Skylar Austin) isn't as interesting as her
interactions with the other girls. There's the usual second act breakup before
they reunite in the third act. No, the camaraderie between the Belles forms the
spine of Pitch Perfect with terrific
performances by Rebel Wilson and Hana Mae Lee. Wilson is getting the lion's
share of attention for her outrageous role as Fat Amy, who calls herself that
so "twig bitches" don't do it behind her back. However, it is the
relatively unknown Lee who makes a breakthrough appearance as the demure Lilly.
She has a great singing voice, but her speaking voice barely registers as a
whisper. Thankfully, no one can hear her because what she says are psychotic non sequitors ("I ate my twin in the
womb."). Christopher Mintz-Plasse pops in for a cameo as do Donald
Faison, Har Mar Superstar, and Joe Lo Truglio as an a capella group of alumni,
who don't know when to leave campus. John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks
(who also produced) also appear as a pair of commentators in the vein of a
Christopher Guest mockumentary. Do they actually have commentators for a
capella?
Pitch Perfect does
for a capella what Bring It On did
for cheerleading and Step Up for
street dance. Despite not being a fan of the majority of the music used, I thoroughly
enjoyed the film. Even the most jaded moviegoer will have a tough time
holding back the smile on their face.
Rating: *** (*****)
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