Pitch Perfect

"Acca-scuse me?"
"Acca-believe it."

Beca (Kendrick) wants to go to Los Angeles to become a DJ and play her own music.  However, her dad (John Hickey) forces her to enroll at Barden University for at least a year.  And he forces her to join at least one club.  She joins the Barden Bellas, the all female A Capella group.

The Bellas are led by Aubrey (Camp) and Chloe (Snow), who are trying to redeem themselves after ruining their chances the previous year.  They add Beca, Fat Amy (Wilson), slutty Stacie (Knapp), Cynthia Rose (Dean), and whipsering Lilly (Lee).  As the Bellas learn the same dated songs / choreography that they have always used.

Meanwhile, Beca begins working at the college radio station with Jesse (Astin), the newest member of Barden's male A Capella group, the Treblemakers.  The Treblemakers, led by cocky jerks Bumper (DeVine) and Donald (Ambudkar), are the mortal enemies of the Bellas.  Can the girls put aside their differences long enough to win the National Collegiate A Capella Competition?


Disclaimer: I love A Capella music... in fact I have an entire Pandora station of it (I fell in love with Straight No Chaser a few years ago, and gave them a station).  Most large colleges have an A Capella group, who change members every year as people graduate.  So I was excited by the premise of this film, and impressed by the actors involved.  Rebel Wilson is a powerful comedienne and has appeared in numerous comedies recently.  Regardless the size of the part, she is the highlight of the film.  In this film, she gets the best lines and is incredibly quotable.

Anna Kendrick, who was great in Up in the Air, anchors the film in her first starring role.  You don't always like her, but you do eventually want her to succeed.  She is surrounded by talented comedy actresses.  This was the breakout role for Anna Camp, who is currently appearing on TV in "The Mindy Project," and should have a bright future.  The rest of the Bellas are an eclectic group.  They are quirky characters, without going too far over the top.

The male characters are equally entertaining.  Adam DeVine is a riot as Bumper; you don't like him, but you can't wait to see him on screen with Wilson.  The story is funnier than you expect... and the music is good.  The actors did their own singing, and the songs are great.  The best song / sequence is the Riff-Off, shown below (minus all the speaking portions), with all 4 Barden A Capella Groups: the Bellas, the Treblemakers, the stoner Highnotes, and the group that only does Madonna songs.

What a great film, totally worth looking into... and watch for the small but entertaining roles: Elizabeth Banks, who produced the film, and John Michael Higgins as the competition emcees, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.  Check it out, and then listen to the soundtrack.

Pitch Perfect (2012) 112 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sexual material, language and drug references
Director: Jason Moore
Starring: Anna Kendrick as Beca
Skylar Astin as Jesse
Ben Platt as Benji
Brittany Snow as Chloe
Anna Camp as Aubrey
Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy
Alexis Knapp as Stacie
Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose
Hana Mae Lee as Lilly
Adam DeVine as Bumper
Utkarsh Ambudkar as Donald