If you are looking to get “pitched slapped” with comedy and a capella, then Pitch Perfect is the movie to see. While the film revolves around college a capella groups competing for a championship, it is also a story of friendships and comedy.
This movie is packed with talent, both familiar and new. The main character, Beca, played by Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Up in the Air), is a loner with a great ear and a talent for remixing songs. When forced to choose a group for social interaction by her father she finds herself looking for friends. Chloe, played by Brittnay Snow (John Tucker Must Die, Hairspray), is co-leader of the Barton Bellas, the all-girl singing group on campus and she literally corners Beca until she agrees to sing and audition for the Bellas. Beca auditions and makes it into the Bellas. In this group, Beca finds herself joined with other misfits with a passion for singing.
Leader of the Bellas, Aubrey, played by Anna Camp (The Help), is controlling and perfection driven. She pushes the Bellas toward the championship in spite of their complaints about her methods and song choices. She causes the tension in the film for the most part and is the character most in need of a change. For comedic relief, Pitch Perfect offers the character of Fat Amy, played by Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids, What to Expect When You’re Expecting). While Amy’s story is not the main point of the film, it would be severely lacking without her.
The male leads for the film are Adam DeVine (Workaholics), who plays the leader of the Barton Trebletones, the all-male a capella group, and Skylar Astin (Hamlet 2, Taking Woodstock), who works with Beca at the college radio station and becomes the real vocal talent of his group.
Just a teaser, the riff-off is one of the best scenes of the film. A bit of this scene can be viewed in the films trailer, but the whole thing is a fun experience with great songs.
This film was a success in both the musical and comedy genres. The variety of songs in the film was impressive and the talent was unexpected and good to listen to. With the exception of DeVine, whose singing was mediocre at best, the rest of the cast performed well in their musical roles.
Pitch Perfect had the audience laughing nearly the whole movie. While the plot is sometimes serious, there is comedy sprinkled throughout the whole movie. Some of the lines are very obvious, while others are literally whispered and audiences have to keep an ear out to be able to enjoy the quips. The extra attention is well worth it for the laughs.
In addition to the main cast, Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games, What to Expect When You’re Expecting), playing the a capella competition announcer, offers comedic relief even with her minimal role to the film.
Pitch Perfect made over $5 million in its opening weekend. With a 73 percent fresh score from rottentomatoes.com critics and 89 percent from audiences, Pitch Perfect is definitely worth the view.
