Pitch Perfect Movie Review

A Cappella is an unlikely subject for a movie, and it wasn’t until 2012 that we saw a movie fully take hold of this concept and use it to create a hilarious, feel-good story.

Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy movie that became a surprisingly popular sleeper hit and then amassed a cult following.

Pitch Perfect Movie Review

With some great music, a charismatic cast, and lots of laughs, it has become a classic perfect for if you need cheering up.

But how well does it hold up compared to other comedy movies? Is this a movie that’s worth watching today? If you’re wondering about these questions, then you’ve come to the right place.

In this review, we’re going to be taking a quick look at some of the main features of the movie, and seeing why it did so well at the box office.

Let’s get right into it!

Overview

Based on the 2008 non-fiction novel Pitch Perfect: The Quest For Collegiate a Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin, Pitch Perfect follows the story of college free-spirited student Beca, who finds herself struggling to fit in at a new school.

While in a group of typically popular students, she finds that the only thing they all have in common is that they can sing together.

From here, she begins to push this group into forming an a cappella team, and they begin to compete against another a cappella group within their school. 

What unfolds is a comedy film that owes a lot to movies like Mean Girls, but does enough to set itself apart from some of the cliches of the genre.

The main unique thing here is the witty screenplay and the music that permeates through the film making it more like a musical than a regular comedy movie.

Cast And Performances

Standout performances here are Anna Kendrick as Becca Mitchell, who plays the main character as a mix between rebellious and conflicted, but also deadpan with her delivery of humor.

Rebel Wilson got a lot of praise for her performance as the bombastic and comical Tasmanian singer.

Each member of the a cappella team is played with unique personalities, all bringing different brands of comedy to the scenes they’re in. 

It’s also worth mentioning just how well they can all sing.

A lot of the music in the movie has been professionally recorded in a studio, but the scenes where the team sings outside of set pieces show the dedication that it must have taken to create authentic voices. 

The Music

One of the main highlights of this movie, and the thing that has given it a cult following, is its electric soundtrack. Three individual songs charted on the Billboard 100 including Riff Off, Bellas Finals, and Cups. 

The movie soundtrack contains 12 songs in its first edition, and it was one of the best-selling soundtracks of 2012.

Many of these songs are a cappella covers of hits through history, including Don’t Stop The Music, Since U Been Gone, and Party In The U.S.A. 

It’s hard to emphasize just how much Pitch Perfect has done for the popularity of a cappella worldwide, and that’s a real testament to just how good the storytelling and music is within the film. 

How Funny Is This Movie?

The main question you’re probably asking yourself whenever you look at a comedy movie is whether or not it’s funny.

Comedy is subjective, and this movie’s particular brand is a mix between outrageous farcical scenes and witty dialogue.

A lot of the dialogue is well written and some of the jokes are subtle, but whether you find it funny or not will come down to your personal tastes.

People tend to either love this movie and find it hilarious or find the comedy to be abrasive and annoying.

Final Thoughts

So to wrap up, Pitch Perfect is a great musical comedy that binds together the plot of an underdog sports story, a classic high-school comedy, and a musical to create a laugh-out-loud flick with some witty writing and great performances.

We’d recommend this movie firstly to anyone who is interested in a cappella or music, but we’d also recommend it to anyone who likes American comedies. 

The one thing that is clear is that Pitch Perfect has stood the test of time, becoming one of those classic comedies that people come back to over and over.

With two sequels (arguably worse than the origins) it has managed to catapult a cappella back into the mainstream and make it cool once again.

We have no doubt that there will be a lot of a cappella singers in the future who will cite it as the movie that got them into the genre.

If you liked this article, you might enjoy our post on ‘Fast & Furious 6 Movie Review‘.

Max Roberts