This is a very silly movie. It's silly, campy, utterly predictable in its narrative and filled with songs that I do my best to tune out when they're played over and over in places where I can't actively flee from them. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Pitch Perfect" is to collegiate acappella singing as "Bring it On" is to high school gymnastics (minus the 'whole privileged white kids stealing the poorer black kids' work subplot). The all-female Barden University Bellas have just wiped out in the national a cappella championship in the most memorable (and gross) way possible. The squad is down to its two sorority-peppy leaders desperately trying to piece together a competent, wholesome and sorority-peppy group of Bellettes for the coming season. Instead, they find themselves leading a rag-tag squadron of oddballs, misfits and the-incredibly-talented-and-pretty-girl-who-thinks-she's-too-cool-for-this-but-really-has-heart-and-team-spirit-and-mad-skills (fun fact, in German, that's all one - very, very long - word).
Can they overcome their differences, hone their skills, get their moves and notes down and take it all the way to the top? The answer may surprise you.
If you have never seen movies.
But "Pitch Perfect" knows that you know and, one (decently well-done) narrative fake-out aside, doesn't patronize its audience or pretend to be anything other than what it is. And what it is, is a lot of fun and funny song and dance numbers, well-choreographed and arranged and strung together like so much audiovisual candy.
Anna Kendrick carries the lead well and is all kinds of lovely and likeable as the incredibly-talented-and-pretty-girl-who-thinks-etc. (what was that German word again?). Kendrick has the kind of smart, cute short-chick charisma Sarah Michelle Gellar used to have before she dedicated her life to becoming the anti-Buffy. Skylar Astin does a very good job with the part of the tangential male love interest (and rival aca group member) and gives the completely predictable story beats real warmth and charm. And Rebel Wilson as the self-described Fat Amy is awesomely awesome with her Tasmanian deadpan that nails some of the best lines of the movie ("Even though I know some of you are pretty skinny, you all have fat hearts... and that's what matters").
When it's done this well and this endearingly, this kind of silly, campy, fun movie is the silly, campy, fun I can really get behind.
Oh, and I finally get why the whole 'cups song' thing became a mini-craze last year. Kendrick's performance of it is adorkable and will, I think, go a long way toward rehabilitating the image of girls and cups and such.
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