Pitch Perfect does a brilliant job of treading the line between praise and mockery of college and its a cappella culture. The film embraces college humor and would be appreciated by all college students. If the amount of laughter and praise I heard from others at the theatre is any indication, it’s relatable to other generations as well.
With humor, romance, and of course, a cappella thrown together, the movie has everything one could want. It even has its very own All Nighters, an all boy a cappella group called the Treblemakers who are just as swoon worthy in their blazers as our own all-male a capella group is in their vests.
Although the plot is predictable and a tad overdone — the story of a girl coming of age and fitting in with the college scene — the film more than makes up for it with its spectacular cast and entertaining musical numbers. The ever-hilarious Anna Kendrick plays her role to perfection and makes the movie entertaining from start to finish. Even back when she played Jessica in Twilight, she brought the otherwise painful movie its few moments of purposeful humor. In Pitch Perfect, she’s given the chance to really shine and she steps into the role effortlessly, leaving the audience with no reason not to love her.
Also extremely noteworthy in the film is Rebel Wilson. After her role in Bridesmaids, there’s no question that she is comedic gold, and this movie just solidified her position as one of the funniest actresses around right now. Wilson brought the most laughs by far with her character, Fat Amy. She was ridiculous and over the top, which seems to have become her trademark role. It fits her like a glove.
The cast as a whole was perfectly picked. There was not a single person, from the leads to the extras, who seemed poorly cast or out of place.
As it was a movie about a cappella, singing was unavoidable. All of the songs and vocal arrangements were catchy and well performed. I was not disappointed with any of the musical numbers, and the film did a great job of showcasing a large variety of songs. From current hits to classics, the songs were diverse and interesting.
Despite the movie’s many successes, it did have a few low points. It could have done without the multiple scenes where vomiting played a prominent role. There was not just one, but two vomiting scenes. The first time, although gross and unexpected, was fine as it added to the plot but the second time pushed it just a little too far, and did not add all that much to the movie.
The ending of the film could also have used a bit of work. When a film finishes on an incomplete sentence, I can’t help but be irked. When multiple people wait around for the credits to finish after the movie, hoping that there is an extra scene following them so that they don’t have to end such an otherwise great movie on such a sour note, it is clear the ending is just not working. The ending was a huge let down after such a hilariously enjoyable two hours. The director could have simply ended the film five seconds prior and it would have been much better. For a film where the male lead, Skylar Astin, actually tells the female lead, Kendrick, that the end of a movie is the most important part, it was disappointing how unfortunate its own ending was.
Although the film did have these two minor flaws, on the whole it was brilliantly executed and extremely entertaining. The two hours flew by and the theatre was alive with laughter. Make sure to take a break from studying to go see Pitch Perfect. I guarantee you’ll find it, as they said in the film, a ca-tastic!
