Settling the Score: Pitch Perfect
image via rottentomatoes.com
It doesn’t matter who you are: a boy, girl, pre-teen, adult, or anything in between. You are not judged for, in fact you are completely justified in loving the filxm Pitch Perfect (as evidenced by its freshly-won MTV Movie Award). For those of you who still think that this is just a chick flick I’d like you to take a moment and realize that in doing so you’re ultimately robbing the entire male population of a few pretty great things: a) Fat Amy, b) a completely inaccurate but thoroughly entertaining look at Freshman year of college, c) some seriously over-the-top hilarity, and d) the music, which is ultimately what convinced me that everyone should break out into song in public places much more often.
I’ll be honest, I was definitely skeptical about this movie when it came out. Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow in an A Capella group? I’m not sold. Adam from Workaholics as the opposing group’s leader? Better, but still not enough to win me over. Rebel Wilson parading around being her ridiculous self? Close, but still not enough to make the premise worthwhile. What does make this movie great isn’t any one of these things on its own, it’s all of them tied together by the film’s quirky soundtrack. The second the “Treblemakers” took the stage and launched into their A Capella rendition of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music”, I was hooked; every one of the tracks in this film is captivating, if not for its energetic charisma, for its originality.
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The Barton Bellas respond with a more mellow, and dare I say boring, but nonetheless vocally impressive version of “Turn the Beat Around”, and the Trebelmakers follow up their first song with a new take on “Let it Whip” which doesn’t fail to make the audience partake in some form of head-bobbing, foot-tapping or seat-dancing (guilty as charged); another song worth mentioning even if it’s not technically a track is Bella and Chloe’s “Titanium” duet in the shower
image via img2emptyclodetd.com
In another instance of the movie’s eclectic taste, the next track is Jesse’s audition of “Since U Been Gone” which completely rethinks the girl power of Kelly Clarkson’s original and showcases the strength of a male voice instead. Then comes one of the most popular and covered songs: Becca’s audition called “When I’m Gone”. Standing at only a little over a minute long, this song is absolutely endearing for its use of cups and claps for music, and of course for Anna Kendrick’s voice, and is one of the many great little moments that compose this film.
After that is the dance-inducing “Riff-Off” scene that somehow makes a mashup of Mickey, Like a Virgin, Hit Me with Your Best Shot, S&M, Let's Talk About Sex, I'll Make Love to You, Feels Like the First Time, and No Diggity work- and not just in a decent way. This is one of the best highlights of the film as it captures not only the musical talent of the cast, but also the movie’s style and unavoidable air of fun that makes it worth downloading the soundtrack.
image via img3songspkvideos.com
The remainder of the soundtrack focuses on the groups’ regional and final performances, featuring the Trebelmaker’s electric renditions of “Right Round” and “Bright Lights Bigger City/Magic” and the Bella’s finale mashup ofPrice Tag/Don't You Forget About Me/Give Me Everything/Just the Way You Are/Party in the U.S.A./Turn the Beat Around.
So if you haven’t seen the film and are one of the few billion people on the planet that enjoys laughter, music and brainless entertainment, I highly recommend it. Even though it probably shouldn’t, the movie works because it is centered around its music; while their genres are all over the place, something about the A Capella mashups that compose the bulk of the soundtrack are charming in a way that makes you actually appreciate what they are doing. All in all, this movie changed my mind about musicals and about “girl movies”. Good plot, great cast, and amazing music make it worth the listen, and hey, who is angry about watching Rebel Wilson make inappropriate jokes for two hours?