Monday, October 1, 2012

Aca-AMAZING

There comes a time in every movie fanatic's life where a movie just digs deep down into your soul, wraps around it, and spits it back out in cinematic mastery. The product is completely dependent on the person - their interests, their values, likes and dislikes, hobbies, passions, sense of humor, weirdness, empathy for the human condition, and just plain awesomeness. I have found such a movie. 


That's right. The movie that has taken the acapella community by storm! It's no surprise with the success of Glee, The Sing-Off and the overall embrace of most things nerdy. This movie truly has everything that I love. Friendships, coming of age, overcoming adversity, quirk, sarcasm verging on satire, and lots and lots of acapella covers. 


Plot summary attributed to my most favorite movie review site: Pajiba
Pitch Perfect follows Becca (Anna Kendrick with extra eyeliner, so you know she’s tuff enuff), a reluctant freshman at Barden College who’s father, a professor there, strikes a deal with her: If she attends college for one year and really tries to give her classes and activities a chance, he’ll let her move to LA and pursue her dream of becoming a music producer/DJ. And that is how, with Bella Swan-like sourness, Becca ends up joining the Barden Belles, the prissy all-girl a cappella group led with cheer-o-cratic precision by seniors Aubrey (Anna Camp) and Chloe (Brittany Snow). And because the Belles disgraced themselves the previous year at Nationals, they’re forced to take in a motley crew of singers along with Becca including the real star of the film, Rebel Wilson as “Fat Amy.” What follows is an entirely predictable, utterly enjoyable underdog story as the Belles face off against the all-male group on campus, The Treblemakers through a series of competitions and skirmishes on the road back to Nationals.
Read more of this awesome and accurate review at http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/pitch-perfect-review.php#kUXsvV810Ek8Lrtl.99 


Ok, enough of that, back to me. It's sweet and funny and endearing and also completely weird and random and sometimes gross (prepare yourself for two scenes that should never be repeated on film anytime, anywhere). Anna Kendrick does her best alt-girl and Elizabeth Banks kills as an Acapella Announcer (oh that there were such jobs for real), but the two standouts in my mind are Rebel Wilson and Skylar Astin. 

Skylar Astin

This kid is presh. He's so cute that I can't even finish the word. His character Jesse, love interest to Anna Kendrick's Beca and the newest member of the Trebletones (rival aca-group on campus), is the kind of guy that everyone loves, is a truly good and genuine person and has that enigmatic personality that makes you wish he were real, 10 years older, and single (what, only me? ok). Oh and he can also sing the hell out of some acapella. Totes adorbs. (He apparently also turns me into a tween - not the first to do so, I assure you)

Rebel Wilson

And then we have Rebel Wilson, now forever to be known as the girl who steals every movie she appears in. In her most major role to date, she completely owns every scene she's in and charms the pants off her viewers with comedic timing of her completely amazing one-liners. Trying to figure out where you've seen her before? Four words: Mexican Drinking Worm Tattoo. Still trying to figure it out and wondering what other cracked out movies I watch? One word: Bridesmaids. If you haven't seen it, do. If you don't remember her, watch it again immediately. 




These were the two standouts, but seriously, this movie had a motley crew of personalities, one weirder than the next, including a psychopathic Asian beatboxer, a lesbian gambling addict, an aspiring acapella singer who also does close-up magic, and a college radio DJ with some serious abs. 

I just can't tell you how happy this movie made me. It was like a breath of fresh aca-air and I couldn't be more excited to buy the dvd (or bribe my brother to download it illegally and send it to me - just kidding, but not really. If you're in law enforcement I'm totally just kidding and get back to that pesky war on drugs). 

I leave you with one final super cheesy recommendation:  



*I was not paid to write this endorsement. I am actually this huge of an acapella nerd.