11.08.2012

Review: Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect (PG-13) - Runtime: 112 minutes
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson
Director: Jason Moore

Well, this movie came out of nowhere. Maggie had decided to watch this one while I was working on a Friday night. She came out enthusiastically raving about how funny it was and told me I would really enjoy it. And she was right - this movie is really funny - probably one of the funniest movies this year! This was all a part of a movie marathon we decided to do - watch three movies in a row. It was fantastic and Pitch Perfect was a great way to start the day!

The story follows Beca, a annoying hipster girl who doesn't want to be in college because she's too hipsterish (she wants to be a DJ and remix things! How kewl!). But then she gets forced by a naked chick (the always adorably naked Brittany Snow) to join the A Capella group and hijinks and hilarious awkwardness ensues. I love college/high school comedies - they're like comfort food and this one is no different. You may just write this off as a Glee-inspired schlock, but it's surprisingly smart and it hits all the right notes and beats (pun most definitely intended!). At first Beca was annoying, but you find yourself hoping that she'll change her awful ways by the end of the movie.

And this is where the movie shines - there's a lot a great characters in this movie. I was surprised at how much I remembered all the girls in the group now that I'm recalling the movie from two weeks ago. Despite what all the television ads were saying about Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy, I didn't find her to be that funny. Sure, she had some great lines and jokes, but she didn't steal every scene she was in. On the other side of the coin - the all male A Capella group has some really funny douchebags, especially the lead singer - Bumper.

On top of all the great characters, the musical numbers were really good. I pretty much hate Glee and they've forever ruined a lot of songs for me (Journey's Don't Stop Believin' makes me want to vomit every time I hear it now), but I enjoyed how much the movie didn't take itself too seriously during those scenes. They were really well done and just fun to watch how the music would unfold.

This was a solid comedy and I'd say it's up there with 21 Jump Street this year as the funniest movie I've seen. Even if you don't understand the appeal of Glee, Pitch Perfect is a great comedy that doesn't rely too heavily on the music to entertain. Instead - it's a coming of age/romantic comedy that is full of smart dialogue and entertaining characters..

Rating: See It!

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