A special sneak-peek screening of Universal Studio’s Pitch Perfect was shown exclusively to GW students last Wednesday in Georgetown. Her Campus was there and has the scoop on this movie that hits theaters nationwide on October 5th.
Before the film, the Troubadours, a GW a cappella group, gave a powerful two-song performance to set the mood for the musical movie.
The film stars Up In the Air’s Anna Kendrick, who plays Beca, a freshman at Barden University. Her dream is to move to L.A. and produce music, but her father, a professor at Boston University, will not support her unless she makes an effort to get involved at college.
Beca hesitantly decides to audition for the Barden Bellas, the all-female a cappella group on campus. The Bellas are very rooted in their traditions; they are beautiful, skinny girls who sing outdated songs and dress like flight attendants (seriously). However, after the head girl projectile vomited during the finals of the big competition the year before, the Bellas are desperate for members and end up straying from tradition. They put together an unlikely group of girls, including Beca, who is too “alternative” for the likes of Aubrey (Anna Camp). Fortunately, the Bellas are able to learn from each other and become close friends through their rehearsals and competitions.
And of course, as with any movie targeted towards a female audience, Pitch Perfect features a romance. This one is especially juicy because it is a forbidden love between Beca and Jesse (Skylar Astin), who just so happens to be a member of the rival male a cappella group, the Treblemakers. Jesse is perfect. He’s a movie geek who is always watching John Hughes flicks in his popcorn-scented room. In one scene, Jesse finds Beca sitting on the quad and pulls Capri Sun, a blanket, a candle, and a collection of his favorite films for the two of them to watch out of his backpack. Jesse is adorable, but it takes Beca forever to figure it out.
Now, enough about boys, because this movie is all about girl power. I loved the Bellas. If the hilarious women of Bridesmaids could sing and invaded the set of a post-high school Glee, they would be the Bellas. Although I admittedly find musicals annoying because of the randomness of the song-and-dance numbers, the songs of Pitch Perfect were delightfully enjoyable. I even loved the Riff-Off, an improvisational competition between the a cappella groups at B.U.; what began as a pretty cheesy scene became really cool when Beca began rapping. The movie just reminded me how much girls kick ass!
And speaking of kick-ass girls, Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) made the movie. She was awesome! She calls herself Fat Amy so “twig bitches” won’t do it behind her back. Her character is full of confidence and tells it like it is. This movie will definitely make the Australian actress a big star in the U.S.
The film was very well received by the GW audience. Emily Marcus, a sophomore, says, “I think that it is really awesome that so many GW students could take the time on a Wednesday night to relax, laugh, and enjoy a lighthearted movie.” I was laughing and singing throughout the whole movie. Pitch Perfect definitely has the potential to become a teen classic.