Film introduces a capella to collegiate competition genre with strong cast
Musical showbiz shtick has made a huge comeback over the years. We’ve especially seen it with the popularity of televised musicals like “Glee,” “Smash” and, more recently, “Nashville.”
But “Pitch Perfect” is the musical showbiz shtick we have seen over and over again, the type that’s sole focus is collegiate competition. From cheerleader competitions (“Bring It On”) to marching bands (“Drumline”) to street dance (“Step Up”), these types of films follow a similar formula that involves rivaling teams and a big finale that decides who comes out on top.
“Pitch Perfect” follows the same formulaic story, except it gives us something new: a cappella singing while adding a bit of “Bridesmaids” humor. Let me assure you the movie isn’t as funny as “Bridesmaids,” but it has moments with its gross-out gags, well-cast leads and some enjoyable mashups of pop culture tracks.
Anna Kendrick plays aspiring DJ and attitudinal hipster Beca, forced to go to college by her professor when all she wants to do is produce music. On the first day, she’s asked to join the Barden Bellas, an all-girl a cappella group that suffered a heavy loss in competition after one of its members projectile-vomits all over the judges (this is actually a running gag in the film).
The team now includes Beca, oversexed Stacie (Alexis Knapp), near-mute Lilly (Hana Mae Lee) and flamboyant Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), who calls herself that to prevent others from using it as an insult. Realizing that the group prefers to stay outdated while singing Ace of Base, Beca urges them to modernize their style and take more risks.
As usual with this style of film, the girls have a rival team, an all-boy group called the Treble Makers. Also formulaic is a romance that exists between these rival teams, with Beca entering into a flirting friendship with warbler Jesse (Skylar Astin, the cast’s weak link), who tries to woo Beca by making her watch the final sequence from “The Breakfast Club.”
With a movie like “Pitch Perfect,” there are four principle aspects to criticize: the story, the acting, the humor and the vocal work. The story may not offer anything new other than the a cappella aspect, but the script does offer some clever one-liners, mostly delivered by supporting actors Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins.
As for acting, the most enjoyable performance comes from Adam DeVine, who plays leading Treble Maker Bumper. It’s just a shame Bumper is terribly underused, as his obnoxious antics really help keep the comedy flowing. Luckily, Wilson is there to fill in that gap, channeling a bit of Melissa McCarthy into her character with her hilarious dance moves.
However, this is Anna Kendrick’s film, who has been on a great track to stardom since her Oscar-nominated role in “Up in the Air” (well, except for those “Twilight” films). Underneath all of the eyeliner and constant sneering, she continues to deliver the charm that she made a star in the first place. Also, she does possess some great vocal talent.
The musical numbers are mostly mashups that mix classics with popular artist like Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus, almost as if this was intended to be “Glee the Movie: College Edition.” While the numbers are toe-tappingly fun to listen to, there are times when it becomes obvious that Auto-Tuning and lip-syncing seem to take over, mostly during some of the group’s sing-alongs.
If it weren’t for the massive popularity of musical television these days, there is the question of whether “Pitch Perfect” would have ever found success if it didn’t have its targeted audience. But the movie is better than expected and entertaining enough to reach outside of such an audience.