"Pitch Perfect" Review
Arriving at a time when pop culture is dominated by singing contests and "Glee", "Pitch Perfect" might at first seem like a rushed and half-assed comedy that only plays into stereotypes of vocalists everywhere, but fortunately, that is not the case at all.
In fact, "Pitch Perfect" feels genuine. The actors' singing voices are strong -- the storyline, as rushed as it is, doesn't wallow in the characters' personal lives -- the jokes are funny -- and those performances...damn. Although the minor characters seem one-dimensional, and the main characters a little too celebrated, the cast as a whole gels very well. However, despite strong performances from Anna Kendrick (who plays Beca, a misunderstood music producer) and Skylar Astin (who plays Jesse), who's characters have such strong sexual tension it's indellible, if a little predictable, it's Rebel Wilson that steals the entire show. Her character "Fat Amy" is essential to "Pitch Perfect", so much to the point of: if we didn't have Fat Amy, there would be no movie. She's given the best punchlines, the most comedic approach to the ways of the Barden Bellas, and her interactions with the rest of the cast give this movie its backbone (as far as comedy goes).
The rest of the cast each give equal emphasis to both music and comedy: while Anna Camp does a knock-out portrayal of an uptight a-capella girl, Brittany Snow delivers a nice relief from the drama (although, getting her "nodes" removed would never result in a lowering of the singing voice), and Ester Dean, who makes her film debut, reminds us all why she's the go-to girl for pop hits (like "S&M", a number in whihc she sings in the movie). And all cast members work with the flimsy script, as they deliver their lines with sincerity to make the audience overlook the ok dialogue. While the plot of "Pitch Perfect" is predictable in every single way (even though Beca's monologue about how predictable movies are will try to convince you otherwise), what's simply incredible are the numerous musical performances. Since there are so many of them, there's little time to provide exposition (in this case, the Barden Bellas are trying to win a singing competition), so at times the dialogue seems like filler. But come show-time, all characters are show-stoppers, and bring this film to life.
Essentially a "Bring It On" for musicians, "Pitch Perfect" is definitely cliched, but this is how cliches should be used. In fact, the predictability of this film is kind of a good thing, it makes sure that the storyline doesn't distract from the true focus of them film: music. From Anna Kendrick's stellar performances with cups, to both the Bellas and the Treblemakers' final numbers, they all provide covers that are infectious, and will keep "Pitch Perfect" a refreshing film, even after infinite plays.
No comments:
Post a Comment