SYNOPSIS: Beca (Anna Kendrick) is that girl who’d rather listen to what’s coming out of her headphones than what’s coming out of anyone’s mouth. Arriving at Barden University, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she would never have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud comedy Pitch Perfect.

When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college music competitions. This could wind up either the coolest thing they’ll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.

Loaded with new takes on old favorites, to hits of right now that are seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and arranged like you’ve never heard before, Pitch Perfect is directed by Jason Moore, who opened our eyes to the very misbehaved life of puppets in the surprise Broadway sensation

REVIEW: Talking about a pleasant surprise… Wow! This flick really took me on a small journey. I totally bought the whole quirky sing-along feel of Glee meets Bring it On… neither of which I’m a big fan. Now, having said this, it did bring some of that “X-Factor” feel of audition-drama and behind-the-scenes-mayhem, to the big screen. Furthermore, I am probably the farthest thing from being an ‘a cappella’ fan; however, somehow I was able to totally submerge myself in to this squeaky-clean, witty comedic song-and-dance movie.

Writers Kay Cannon and Mickey Rapkin and Director Jason Moore, really made it work. Pitch Perfect brings an eclectic cast of colorful talented characters with the likes of Anna Kendrick (Twilight), Brittany Snow (Hairspray) and the always over the top hilarious Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids). Kendrick, who plays the Beca character, brings that sexy and beautiful demeanor with a rough-edged vulnerability and whip-smart delivery which makes it quite easy for the audience to invest in her character’s journey. She is pretty much flawless, captivating and perfectly suited for the role. More notably is the Wilson character ‘Fat Amy’ though. She is cheeky, sarcastic and side-splittingly naughty, with an infectious energy, throughout the entire film. In my opinion, she single-handedly brought the comedic value to this film that makes for absolute audacious ‘verbal diarrhea’ dialog. She is just nonstop funny!

Musically speaking, I particularly like the Bruno Mars, Nelly mash-up riff-scene, in the emptied campus swimming pool. It is fresh and loaded with new takes on old favorites with today’s hits that are seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and arranged like you've never seen or heard before. Furthermore, the elaborate vocal arrangements, the self-consciously goofy choreography, the pun-intended group names and the fiercely competitive spirit perpetuated by campus rivalries are over the top and profoundly entertaining.

If I have to find something negative to point out about this flick I would have to say that for those people who don’t like predictive endings, this is certainly a movie they would have an issue with. Nonetheless, in my opinion its predictable plot plays out well over the 112 minute run-time and doesn’t leave room for dull dragging moments.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun-filled character driven feature and would not hesitate to give it four stars (out of five) for edgy humor, creative dance and cutting-edge musical entertainment value.

MORE MOVIE REVIEWS >>>