Pitch Perfect

I’m not one to take the awkwardness of movie characters singing to each other lightly. Out of the context of a full on musical, this can be quite jarring. Luckily for those invested in Pitch Perfect, the fairly unknown world of a cappella plays out awesomely in this comedic cinematic setting. Anna Kendrick plays Beca, a college freshman that joins a female singing group even though she doesn’t really want to. You see, Beca is a DJ and a rebel and doesn’t really want to play the whole college game. It’s not really necessary for her to fight joining the team like she does. It drastically slows the pace early on.

Even as the audience is waiting for the singing to feature more prominently, it’s really quite the surprise how funny the movie is. The trailers feature funny moments, but I’d be surprised if anyone expected Pitch Perfect to be such a success in that department. The humor tends to be a bit adolescent, but it’s consistent with college life. Then when the characters do get around to singing, the film does for a cappella what the Step Up franchise does for dancing. It’s just a very cool presentation that gives the audience a glimpse into that world.

Kendrick leads the film with a strong performance as the coming of age, jaded student. She’s unlikeable for a while, which is consistent with how the script wants it. Luckily, almost every other character (with the exception of the overbearing Aubrey, played by Anna Camp) is likeable and interesting. Even the film's villain from the rival group, Bumper, (Adam DeVine) is likeable in his own hysterically insulting way. Fans of the genre will come for the singing and stay for the comedy. Even though the singing performances are really well done, it’s tough to outdo the witty script that accompanies it.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.