We have reached a time where musical comedies are becoming
tiresome. The hype is still there, but the implementation is less than
exciting. When Pitch Perfect was first released, the expectations for the movie
were low. Yes, the trailers were funny, but that always poses the question,
“Were those all the funniest moments in the movie?” When the advertisements
began, it was instantly compared to the television show, Glee, because of the “organizing singing” concept. After the first
weekend premiere, the word began to spread about how audiences were surprised
at how well the movie was executed. It quickly began forming a cult following,
grossing $65 million in the box office .
Pitch Perfect is about an aspiring DJ, Beca (Anna Kendrick),
who is forced to test out college first before moving to Los Angeles to begin
her DJ career. Her dad, who is a professor at the university she attends, urges
Beca to partake in one club activity. In return he will pay for her to live in
Los Angeles. She auditions for the all female a cappella singing group, the
Bellas and begins her journey from there. The Bellas are known for singing
oldies and staying in a safe zone. This makes it difficult for them to surpass
their school and competition rivals, the Troubletones. It was not until Beca
finally convinces the co-captain that mixing up old and contemporary songs is a
good thing that the Bellas start to connect.
Why did Pitch Perfect work so well? It was realistic. It did
not follow the rule of a traditional “musical move”. The motives for the
singing were clear and guided the movie appropriately. None of the characters
sporadically busted out in song singing about their feelings at that particular
moment. The characters in the movie just want to create entertaining music, and
develop success from their hard work.
Pitch Perfect also had the most diverse and well oiled cast to carry the movie. The movie was carried brilliantly through the
characters more than the plot of the film. Kay Canon, who is the writer of 30
Rock and New Girl, created one of the most appealing characters for a movie of
this stature. Each character had their own quirk that made the characters
lovable. It was definitely refreshing to see new faces in a movie.
Overall, it is definitely a must see movie, regardless of
whether you think you may enjoy it or not. With outstanding performances and musical
numbers, there is something in it for everyone.
