I can remember distinctly the setting. I was at the midnight premiere of The Amazing Spiderman, in a row full of my best friends. Seriously. Fourteen of us piled on Spidey gear and took over an entire row of the movie theater. We loaded up on candy, popcorn, and drinks, and a few brave souls even left before the movie started and returned with Wawa sandwiches. Definitely one of the best parts of my summer, for sure. As the lights wound down and the previews began, everyone was on edge to see if Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone could deliver an exciting new start to the Spiderman series. But, of course, before we could start that adventure, we had to watch the previews. Now, do not get me wrong, I LOVE previews! I always wanna see what's coming next, especially if I haven't checked out the trailer ahead of time. This was the case with the first trailer shown at The Amazing Spiderman midnight premiere. I guess I should also preface this by saying that my friends and I, for the most part, are all musically inclined. Whether it's singing, playing, or creating, we love music. We share new bands, we do bonfire sing-a-longs, we worship a key change, and we aren't afraid to dance to our favorite song in public, even if no one else is dancing. And so, when the trailer for Pitch Perfect had finished, our group, widemouthed and amazed, cheered and screamed across the row "We have got to see that movie!"
Now I would venture to guess that that's the kind of reaction Universal Pictures was looking for from some kind of audience. In a time that has been saturated with Glee and Glee wannabes, Pitch Perfect looks to bring a new edge to acapella singing groups. Yep, that's what the film is about. It starts with the adventures of Beca (played by one of my favorite actresses, Anna Kendrick), a college freshman, who is recruited to join The Bellas, her school's female acapella group, despite her protestations. There, she brings new life to the group by injecting current flavor and new songs into the group's repertoire in an attempt to bring down the campus' rival male acapella group in a final showdown. It all sounds very cheesy, right? Well, that's the fun of it! In a script from Kay Cannon (an Emmy-nominated writer for 30 Rock), the girls sass and loudmouth their way to the top, keeping the dialogue witty and bitting. The all-star cast of twentysomethings includes young actors and actresses previously not known for their vocal work. Kendrick, for example, is actually the third youngest Tony Award nominee ever for her work in the Broadway musical High Society! Also starring is Brittany Snow (recognizable from John Tucker Must Die, Hairpsray, and Prom Night), Anna Camp (from The Help, a brief stint on The Good Wife and a series regular on this fall's new Fox comedy The Mindy Project), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad), Skylar Astin (original cast member of the Broadway smash Spring Awakening), Adam DeVine (from the popular TV series Workaholics), John Michael Higgins (who has really been in just about everything possible, but probably most recognizable from Fired Up!), Elizabeth Banks (fresh off her stint as Effie in The Hunger Games), and the film's breakout star, Rebel Wilson (she was Kristen Wiig's British roommate in Bridesmaids) as Fat Amy. For the most part, it is believed the cast did their own singing for the film. Early word is that the comedy looks to be the surprise hit of the fall. With comparisons to Bring It On and Easy A, the comedy could look to be the must-see event for teens this fall, especially those with musical backgrounds. My cousin recently got to attend a sneak peek viewing of the film and he said: "It's, in my opinion anyway, better than Mean Girls." That is high praise, considering the universal adoration of the Lindsay Lohan high school comedy that has had teens screaming "Fetch!" and "Why are you white?" for eight years now. Still, even if the film is half as good as the ones it has been compared to, there's no reason why Pitch Perfect's performance shouldn't be just that. Check out the trailer that started it all below and see the movie in theaters starting October 5th. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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