Pitch Perfect is just that, perfect. I wasn't really sure what to expect before I sat down to watch it, all I really knew about it was from a few GIFs I had seen floating around Tumblr. To be honest, for what I had seen/heard/read about it, was a bit too 'Glee' for my liking. Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's your cup of tea, but I thought Hollywood was maybe taking the piss a bit if they did decided to make a cinematic version of Glee. But boy, was I wrong.
Let's start at the beginning. A prestigious collegiate a capella competition (because that's a thing now? Where have I been?), and the first all-girl singing group to make it to the finals, the Barden Bellas, lose out on a victory to their male rivals of the same university, the Treblemakers (get it? TREBLEmakers - like a treble clef?), after a very... erm... unfortunate incident, making them the laughing stock of the a capella world and sinking them to the bottom of the pile. So in the new term, it's time for the group's veterans Chloe (Brittany Snow) and Aubrey (Anna Camp) to recruit some new Bellas and get their rep back. Enter Beca (Anna Kendrick), except not really, because she doesn't really want to be at college, and is only there because her dad is a professor at Barden University, so she gets to go for free. Plus, he won't help pay her way to LA to become a DJ and music producer.We also get introduced to the fabulous Fat Amy, portrayed by the equally, if not more, fabulous Rebel Wilson.
First off, Anna Kendrick is kind of awesome. I wasn't really sure what to make of her, because the only roles I've ever seen her play is bitchy and two dimensional Jessica in The Twilight Saga and a sweet yet slightly dull therapist in 50/50. But she really came through in this film. I don't quite know how to describe it, she was funny without being over the top, sassy without being bitchy, and moody enough without coming across as just another angsty teen. And most of all, she knew when to hold back to let all the other kooky lasses get their gags in too. Author of the screenplay, and resident writer on 30 Rock and New Girl, Kay Cannon ticked all of the boxes for all the funnies in this one.
This film saw some other pretty great ladies. Rebel Wilson, who we all know and love from her role as the weirdo flatmate in Bridesmaids, just makes an already funny script even funnier. Horizontal running, vertical running... this may not mean much to you right now, but just watch her in action and I will guarantee that you will see the effortless hilarity she exudes. I see big things for her in 2013. Brittany Snow took me by surprise slightly as well. I had only ever seen her in the infamous John Tucker Must Die, where she plays a bland and generally not very likable loner, and in general she has a very stand-offish aura about her away from the screen, but she actually managed to add some personality to her character. And you know what? I didn't hate it, in fact, I was pleasantly entertained. And, even though he's not a lady, can I get a "hell yeah" for Christopher Mintz-Plaase? His role may have been small, but no one can get tired of seeing this McLovin' on the screen.
All the plot summaries and film reviews describe Kendrick's character, Beca, as an 'alt-girl', but that's not all I like about her. I mean, sure, I like the fact that she's a DJ and wears a ton of piercings on her ear, but I also like how relatable she is. Beca admittedly has more friends who are boys, but not in a 'whey look at me I'm one of the boys', in-your-face kind of way, is smart and funny and quirky, and also has weird emotional baggage just like the rest of us. Plus I also love her on-screen pairing with fellow a cappella group rival Jesse (Skylar Astin).
Pitch Perfect is musical comedy at its finest, celebrating your failings and your flaws and embracing diversity and change. But in a completely non-cheesy way, of course. Beca's right though, movie endings are predictable, but somehow, I'm okay with that. Because I have a complete and utter toner for this movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment