Movie Review: Pitch Perfect by Jason Moore

 
Title: Pitch Perfect
Director(s): Jason Moore
Genre(s): Comedy, Musical, Romance
Rating: PG - 13
Release Date (USA): October 5, 2012

"The audience loves the Trebles. They tolerate us. We could change the face of a capella if we... oh my god, that sounded so queerballs. What's happening to me?" -Beca

What do you get if you mash together Bring It On and Coyote Ugly? You get something that's oh-so Pitch Perfect. The Barden Bellas are Barden's first-ever, all-girl a cappella singing group that rely on their looks and antiquated pop songs to get by in competition. After a disasterous incident at the previous year's finals, the Bellas are back and looking to redeem themselves. Enter Beca (Anna Kendrick). Beca's is a girl who's ambitions lie more with DJ'ing than in her studies and lucky for the Bellas, Beca can sing. And if she wants to get ahead in school, she'll have to do it a cappella style. Soon she's breathing new life, a different look and a fresh sound in to the struggling girl group. Add a pinch of friendly rivalry with Barden's all-male a cappella group, The TrebleMakers, a dash of flirtation and a bit of raunchy humour and you're ready to be pitch slapped outta this world!

Okay, I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to see Pitch Perfect mostly based on the fact that I can't stand the show, Glee, but I got bored one night with my Netflix queue and decided to give it a whirl. Let me just tell you something right now ---- I am soooooo happy I did because this movie was AMAZING! Seriously. I don't know what it is about these types of movies but they put me on this weird musical high and I'm all like:

Yeah. It's that freaking crazy!

But you know what's even crazier? Just how much I liked the movie despite all the wrongness with it. I mean, there was a lot that didn't really work for me but the fact that the good parts were SO good, it pretty much outweighed all of the bad. Ah, the power of musicals. They can do virtually no wrong in my eyes. And I know I'm kinda categorising Pitch Perfect as a musical, but it isn't so in the traditional sense of the term. The majority of the movie isn't spelled out solely via the song and dance numbers, but the heart of the film does lie in its songs. If you remove everything but the musical numbers, you'd still get the overall essense of the movie sans the raunch and quick-wit. So basically, the whole story is told through the music and I'm very much okay with that.

I guess my biggest issue with the film was that the plot was sometimes a little too contrived and some of the chemistry felt forced. For instance, there was an unnecessary love triangle which I totally wasn't buying. In fact, I was even sure it was supposed to be a love triangle. They could've just removed that character and/or bit altogether. Also, much of the raunchier humour (not that there was a lot of it) could've been completely omitted because it just wasn't needed. The movie was funny enough on its own. It was like they were trying to be Bridesmaids only they didn't quite get there.

Be that as it may, I will say that the humour of the film was much more elevated than that of most teen comedies today. The comedy lies in the sharp-tongued characters, the witty dialogue and the fact that it wasn't afraid to poke a bit of fun at a cappella while still managing to make it seem super cool. Pitch Perfect verges on the border of satirical without going all the way there, making it more appealing to the masses. Round it out with amazing ad-libbing from Rebel Wilson (love this girl!), Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp and Elizabeth Banks and there's your girl power. Okay, so the guys weren't too bad either.

I'd have to say, though, Pitch Pefect's saving grace was in its performances. What I found most impressive was that these actors weren't trained, professional dancers however each of them could really sing. Anna Kendrick knocked it out of the ballpark here. When the groups performed, sparks flew and the musical mash-ups made the movie so memorable. I immediately downloaded the soundtrack after I watched it which has been on replay all week long, I might add! There really isn't much more I can say other than watch it because I think, like me, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Summary Prognosis

Pitch Perfect is a modern musical that takes a cappella music to the next level, giving it a fresh, modern and pitch perfect feel! I could give or take the plot because the musical numbers are what made it so memorable. This movie was one of the biggest surprises for me so far this year and if you like fun, funky, funny films, I think you'll like this one too.


Rating: ★★★★


Watch It: Amazon | Target
Discuss It: IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes
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