Pitch Perfect – Film Review

College student Beca (Anna Kendrick) knows she does not want to be part of a clique, but that’s exactly where she finds herself after arriving at her new school. Thrust in among mean gals, nice gals and just plain weird gals, Beca finds that the only thing they have in common is how well they sing together. She takes the women of the group out of their comfort zone of traditional arrangements and into a world of amazing harmonic combinations in a fight to the top of college music competitions.

The first time I ever watched Jason Moore‘s Pitch Perfect is a time that I will never forget. It was the summer of 2018, and my parents had left for a week-long vacation, meaning that I had the entire house all to myself. I didn’t really know how to pass the time, so I went out and got every single Pitch Perfect movie on Blu-ray and watched one each day.

Little did I know that before clicking play that I would be watching one of my all-time favorite comfort movies. Is Pitch Perfect, well… perfect? No. Absolutely not. Sometimes the humor in the film is a bit dumb and some of the plot points feel quite familiar, but it’s nevertheless one of the most uplifting and feel-good movies ever made. Even if you’re not into singing or dancing, you’ll find yourself swept up by the end of the film.

As soon as I finished watching this film for the first time ever, I vividly remember doing research on how to audition for acapella groups in my city, just because I was that inspired after watching the film. Can I sing? No. Did I ever join an acapella group? No. But it certainly speaks volumes that this film got me heavily into wanting to join one at the time.

The script from Kay Cannon here is so wholesome and hilarious at the same time. It does a wonderful job at crafting memorable and lovable characters in the Barden Bellas, while also casting over-the-top yet entertaining villainous characters in the Treblemakers.

Anna Kendrick’s lead performance as Beca Mitchell, an introverted freshman who desperately wants to make it big in the music industry, is one of her best to date. She feels so believable in this role, and she gets some truly great moments to shine. Not to mention the fact that she has a wonderful voice and ended up creating a massive, chart-topping hit in “Cups.”

All of the other Barden Bellas are wonderful too, most notably Rebel Wilson as the always hilarious Fat Amy. The entire cast delivers exceptional performances, and it’s really a testament to the casting director that this group of girls honestly feels like a group of friends. They feel like they have each other’s backs and would do anything for one another. They’re so electric to watch do literally anything, whether it’s singing or just having a conversation.

Since this is a movie about singing, you’d probably hope that the songs here are good. Well, they’re great. There’s some seriously phenomenal mashups here that’ll get stuck in your head for days. Before this movie, I was never a fan of acapella, but after it, it was the coolest thing in the world in my eyes.

Pitch Perfect is an infectiously comforting, uplifting, and inspiring film with electric performances abound and a great soundtrack to boot.