The a capella music is great but the story only serviceable and a trifle too long

Rating: 6/10 (8 August 2013)

Pitch Perfect is set at the fictional Barden University, featuring the rivalry between an all-male a capella group, 'The Treblemakers' and an all-female group, 'The Barden Bellas'. The protagonist is Beca Mitchell, played by the talented Amy Kendrick. Beca wants to be a DJ and move out to LA, much to the chagrin of her father, who is a professor at Barden. He strikes a deal with Beca, that she must participate in one college activity and if after one year, she doesn't find it fulfilling, he'll finance her trip to the west coast.
'Pitch Perfect' is most successful, when the music groups are performing their a capella numbers. The film begins with the introduction of The Treblemakers and The Barden Bellas at the national a capella finals at Lincoln Center in NYC, during the previous semester. Aubrey, the strident co-leader of the Bellas, ruins their chances when she throws up on stage (the workaholic and seemingly in control Aubrey, obviously can't stand the pressure).
Act 2 begins nicely when the a capella auditions begin at Barden, each candidate singing parts from Kelly Clarkson's 'Since U Been Gone'. Desperate for members, the Bellas end up selecting a group of odd balls, including Beca, who comes in late for the audition, only to wow the audience by singing a folk-rock tune, with a cup as a percussive accompaniment. There's also 'Fat Amy' (Rebel Wilson from 'Bridesmaids'), Stacie, a self-admitted nymphomaniac, Cynthia-Rose, a lesbian with a gambling problem and Lilly, who sings so softly, no one can hear her (she later is revealed to have talent as a beat boxer).
There are a number of scenes in 'Pitch Perfect', where the film's scenarist, Kay Cannon, veers away from the music and bores us with dialogue heavy narrative. A good ten minutes could have been cut from those scenes which involve the initiation of the new members of each a capella group as well as the following scene, some kind of 'mixer', where the boys and the girls get a chance to interact.
It's at this point where the love interest begins in earnest, with Beca rejecting the advances of Jesse, who has just been selected to be one of the new members of the Trebelmakers. Jesse initially bores Beca with some dull zombie conversation but eventually woos her by appealing to her romantic, visual nature (first, he hides his face with a set of old record albums; later he convinces her to watch old movies (which is not her thing), especially the 80s film, 'The Breakfast Club'. In the finale, Beca utilizes the 80s hit, 'Don't You (Forget about me), the key song in 'The Breakfast Club', which helps the Bellas win the final competition.
The Bellas manage to get by in the regional competition, after one of their competitors, lamely feature Muppets, as part of their performance. The scuffle between the Treblemakers and another group afterward, goes on a little too long, and Beca ends up getting arrested after sticking up for her schoolmates. Jesse also infuriates Beca after he calls her father. The conflict between Beca and Aubrey escalates, as the latter wants her mates to wear the same uniforms and perform the same songs, they've used before.
The dark moment of Act 2, occurs when the Bellas lose in the semi-finals. Beca infuriates Aubrey because she did a little improvisation during their final number and quits the group. Beca must do some soul-searching and she finds it watching 'The Breakfast Club'. She's now receptive to her father (no longer rebelling) and agrees to rejoin the Bellas.
It should be noted that Cannon's screenplay contains two moments of outright political incorrectness. First there's Beca's dour Korean roommate, who for some reason seems to dislike non-Asians. Then there's the black lead singer of the Footnotes, who's disqualified from the finals because he's not a high school student. This is the reason why the Bellas get a second chance to sing at Lincoln Center in the finals.
Meanwhile, there's an additional sub-plot which I failed to mention before. Bumper, the Treblemaker's egotistical lead singer, quits after being offered a gig as a backup singer to John Mayer. That allows, Jesse's quirky roommate, Ben, a magician, to realize his dream of singing for the Treblemakers.
The finale isn't very hard to figure out. Beca is appointed the leader of the Bellas and they adopt her new costumes and arrangements. In a rousing face-off, both groups perform magically, but the Bellas have the edge, with Beca leading the way.
'Pitch Perfect' is an enjoyable, musical treat, featuring some fantastic a capella arrangements of both contemporary hits as well as classics from an earlier time in the rock/pop era. As for the story, it goes on for about twenty minutes too long and some additional, judicious editing, could have markedly improved the storyline. I would recommend seeing 'Pitch Perfect' and purchasing the soundtrack.