Pitch Perfect

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp
Director: Jason Moore

To tell you the truth, I'm not a fan of musicals. The only musical movie I've watched willingly was Moulin Rouge, and I loved this. Pitch Perfect felt like a rendition of Glee on screen, but I found this enjoyable (while I avoid the former like the plague. Sorry, just really not for me). I never knew Anna Kendrick could sing until I read up on her and saw that she's a Tony nominee. She should get more theater jobs, especially if she's good at them. Anyway, this movie has good sounds, and the plot is an underdog favorite. Despite not being a fan of musicals, I find myself putting this on my go-to list on movies I'd enjoy on a relaxing day.

Beca is a freshman student who has passion for music; she wants to become a music producer. During recruitment week, she was spotted by an acapella group and when she accidentally exposed her singing abilities, she was cornered into auditioning for the faltering group. Like any underdog story, she makes the team and eventually clashes with the leader. As a group, they compete against other groups for the chance to win the yearly acapella competition, hopefully to redeem the group's name due to their nasty mishap the year before.

The singing was great, including the choreography that came with it. I loved how the blending of the voices worked, which made me automatically think of auto tune during editing. Nonetheless, they performed a great rendition of pop and vintage songs. The choreography was decent, and it didn't overpower nor upstaged their singing. I liked that it wasn't just random singing, but they incorporated the songs to the movement of the film: they were singing because of a purpose.

The plot was nothing new, but it was furnished with song and dance instead. As far as the movie is concerned, Anna Kendrick was the star, with her angst rebel role (that awkwardly suited her) and a few of her one liners. However, it was Rebel Wilson who stole most of the comedic chops. From her lines down to her antics, she is the person to watch in the entire movie, although her scenes were limited. None of the other performances were memorable or of note for they were all given an identifier, which I think limited the actions that they could have projected. If there was one factor that irked me with a movie like this, it would have to be that much added romance arch between Kendrick and a rival. Seriously, the final number would have been great if not for that homage to her paramour, asking him to forgive her (you know, typical movie romance anger). It was a great number, then she does that "big act" that makes the guy all giddy, and I was just...(yeah, that's an unfinished thought). I think that was the first time I was truly annoyed at something like that. It felt very out of character and it did not coordinate well with the movie. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the song, I just felt that it was misused. 

While it has fallen into a predictable stance, Pitch Perfect is a great watch for a fun afternoon, and with friends, most definitely. It had fantastic song choices, and Rebel Wilson was great (although I would choose to watch her in another work).