'PITCH PERFECT'

PITCH PERFECT' (PG-13) (RENTAL)

Written by Kay Cannon based on the book by Mickey Rapkin
Directed by Jason Moore
Actors: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Ben Platt, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp.

I wanted to really like "Pitch Perfect" thinking it would be a more risque version of the popular television show "Glee". I love movies like this that are punctuated with great pop songs. I really liked "Glee" except for the last two years. I liked a little bit of "Pitch Perfect" but I didn't walk out smiling and clicking my heels like I do after a good musical. Save for two funny and charming, scene stealing peformances this movie fell flat in the end. I think it is worth a wait for DVD but this movie doesn't come off as deserving of a hit even though the qualifications are there.

Anna Kendrick is the major appeal here and she is becoming quite a star in the making. She plays a young college student who is a little bit of a rebel and wants to be a radio DJ. She gets roped into joining an all female acapella group after being spied on in the shower as she sings a song. The girls in this group have lost their leader who has graduated. The group is not fully formed and after auditions it looks like the girls will not win the top prize in the regionals. This is an eclectic group and they will need a lot of practice to sound good as one cohesive group.

The problem is that the group is full of stereotypes and not individuals. I only cared about two characters and they steal the show as do the actresses who play them. Rebel Wilson played the English roommate from hell in "Bridesmaids" and here she is just as funny. She plays Fat Amy who calls herself that so other skinny bitches don't call her that behind her back. Rebel Wilson has some very funny scenes and she plays them for all they are worth. She alone has the only truly funny scenes even though Anna Camp (True Blood) is very charming and cute as the clueless leader of the group. It is a shame that Camp is involved in not one but two unfunny vomit scenes.

The other reason I almost fully recommended this movie is because of it's adorable and charming star in the making Ana Kendrick. Kendrick is very appealing physically, cute and sometimes very sexy at the same time. She is funny, knows how to play all the scenes for maximum effect, even the flat ones, and makes you instantly like her and want to hug her. She was also this charming, good and appealing in "50/50", "Up in the Air" and "End of Watch". Her performance alone with the help of Rebel Wilson almost saved this movie for me just on their charm alone. Both actresses have great careers ahead of them!

"Pitch Perfect" comes so close many times to being a rip roaring, toe tapping, energetic time and I do love some of the musical numbers but it should have been better. I just felt the movie had too many dull, awkward stretches that zap the movie of energy. Kendrick and Wilson are great but some of the other characters are either not funny or uninteresting. There is a battle with another all male group but in the second half that battle fades away without much conflict or energy. There are great, funny and wonderful scenes and some inspired singing and choreography. The only thing is that the momentum of the story's energy drops out of sight from time to time. Though I would watch it again on cable just for Anna Kendrick herself. This is an actress that deserves to be a star!