Pitch Perfect
3/4
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins
Rated PG-13 for Sexual Material, Language and Drug References
Really, "Pitch Perfect" isn't anything special. The plot is formulaic (and not especially well done), there are no surprises, and the ending is open-ended when it shouldn't be. But the film nearly got a 3.5/4 for one reason alone: it's funny. Very funny. Occasionally sidesplittingly funny. And it does it without an R rating to boot.
The Bellas are the female a capella group at Barden University. They're photogenic and sing the same exact, innoffensive songs every year. They finally made it to last year's finals, only to botch it on the account that one of them suddenly vomited onstage in the middle of a number. Now the group has only two members left: obedient Chloe (Snow) and domineering (and said vomitee) Aubrey (Camp). Their new recruits are hardly the Barbie dolls Aubrey was hoping for. They include, among others, a Tazmanian girl who calls herself Fat Amy (Wilson), a girl moves her mouth like a fish and says really strange things at an almost inaudible tone (Hana Mae Lee), and a big girl with a retro hairdo who may be a lesbian (Ester Dean). Also joining is Beca (Kendrick), although for less altruistic reasons. She wants to be in LA working as a DJ instead of in college, and her dad (John Benjamin Hickey) tells her that if she really makes a go of college and doesn't like it she can drop out and he'll help her get started at being a DJ. Then again, maybe it was being confronted by a naked Chloe when she was singing in the shower (the movie never tells us).
Despite appearing in the inexplicably popular "Twilight" franchise (in a throwaway role, no less), Anna Kendrick has proven herself to be a good actress. She's gotten more than a few high profile theater nominations (including being the second youngest person nominated for a Best Leading Actress Tony for her role as Dinah in "High Society") and scored an Oscar nomination for "Up in the Air." Even in lackluster movies like "50/50," Kendrick is a consistently strong performer. There's really nothing special about the role of Beca in "Pitch Perfect," but like all the hard working actresses, she makes her real. Beca is sarcastic and pushes everyone away, but she's also independent (but not combatively so). In her view, if someone wants their way that badly enough, it's their funeral.
Her co-stars are good, but special note has to go to Rebel Wilson. The Aussie actress was funny in "Bridesmaids," but here, she makes herself a star. The fact that she's large, unattractive and ungainly means nothing to her; in fact, she probably doesn't notice. That makes her likable, not to mention funny. Also worth mentioning is Anna Camp, who plays the rigidly traditional Aubrey. She's beyond high-strung, and has a tendency to upchuck half her body weight when she gets nervous (for a PG-13 movie, it's pretty raunchy).
The problem with the film is that the plot is a throwaway, and it's not told very well. The best comedies will get you involved in the plot even if you're not really supposed to (see "Ted" for an example of this). I didn't care about Beca's relationship with Jesse (a member of the Bella's rival team), and I didn't particularly care if the Bella's won the championship.
Still, as a series of hilarious bits connected by a thin plot, "Pitch Perfect" scores fairly high.
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins
Rated PG-13 for Sexual Material, Language and Drug References
Really, "Pitch Perfect" isn't anything special. The plot is formulaic (and not especially well done), there are no surprises, and the ending is open-ended when it shouldn't be. But the film nearly got a 3.5/4 for one reason alone: it's funny. Very funny. Occasionally sidesplittingly funny. And it does it without an R rating to boot.
The Bellas are the female a capella group at Barden University. They're photogenic and sing the same exact, innoffensive songs every year. They finally made it to last year's finals, only to botch it on the account that one of them suddenly vomited onstage in the middle of a number. Now the group has only two members left: obedient Chloe (Snow) and domineering (and said vomitee) Aubrey (Camp). Their new recruits are hardly the Barbie dolls Aubrey was hoping for. They include, among others, a Tazmanian girl who calls herself Fat Amy (Wilson), a girl moves her mouth like a fish and says really strange things at an almost inaudible tone (Hana Mae Lee), and a big girl with a retro hairdo who may be a lesbian (Ester Dean). Also joining is Beca (Kendrick), although for less altruistic reasons. She wants to be in LA working as a DJ instead of in college, and her dad (John Benjamin Hickey) tells her that if she really makes a go of college and doesn't like it she can drop out and he'll help her get started at being a DJ. Then again, maybe it was being confronted by a naked Chloe when she was singing in the shower (the movie never tells us).
Despite appearing in the inexplicably popular "Twilight" franchise (in a throwaway role, no less), Anna Kendrick has proven herself to be a good actress. She's gotten more than a few high profile theater nominations (including being the second youngest person nominated for a Best Leading Actress Tony for her role as Dinah in "High Society") and scored an Oscar nomination for "Up in the Air." Even in lackluster movies like "50/50," Kendrick is a consistently strong performer. There's really nothing special about the role of Beca in "Pitch Perfect," but like all the hard working actresses, she makes her real. Beca is sarcastic and pushes everyone away, but she's also independent (but not combatively so). In her view, if someone wants their way that badly enough, it's their funeral.
Her co-stars are good, but special note has to go to Rebel Wilson. The Aussie actress was funny in "Bridesmaids," but here, she makes herself a star. The fact that she's large, unattractive and ungainly means nothing to her; in fact, she probably doesn't notice. That makes her likable, not to mention funny. Also worth mentioning is Anna Camp, who plays the rigidly traditional Aubrey. She's beyond high-strung, and has a tendency to upchuck half her body weight when she gets nervous (for a PG-13 movie, it's pretty raunchy).
The problem with the film is that the plot is a throwaway, and it's not told very well. The best comedies will get you involved in the plot even if you're not really supposed to (see "Ted" for an example of this). I didn't care about Beca's relationship with Jesse (a member of the Bella's rival team), and I didn't particularly care if the Bella's won the championship.
Still, as a series of hilarious bits connected by a thin plot, "Pitch Perfect" scores fairly high.
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