An Off-putting Mix of Cynical Mockery and Sugary Acapella

Rating: 4/10 (28 October 2017)

In many respects, I got what I expected with "Pitch Perfect". A mash-up of a fairly standard rom-com plot with numerous song-and-dance acapella performances of pop songs and a cast of oddball characters. The ongoing competition aspect also makes it reminiscent of movies such as "Bring It On", which certainly has its audience. If you like these things, you might deduce from this information that you will like this movie. But what ultimately separates this film from the standard set of expectations is the heavily cynical, mocking tone and complete deficiency of genuine emotion. This movie has no heart.
I underestimated the sheer irreverent goofiness and cheesiness of this movie, as well as the humor, which was surprisingly nasty, strange, mean, and raunchy throughout. Some of it was funny, but most of it was just... off. I can only assume that this was partly the result of some of the actresses, particularly Rebel Wilson, being given extraordinary leeway to improvise odd, tangential humor on the spot. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that lengthy sequences of her improvised comedy can often be boiled down to "I'm fat and weird and disgusting, now laugh". On the other hand, some of the odd comedic sequences were definitely scripted, which I don't understand. Is this really what people want in a movie about an all female acapella group? To be grossed out, confused, and even mildly offended? It may just be that this movie seems like the wrong place for such humor. I suppose it will either work for you or it won't.
The movie is not completely beyond some level of redemption, though. The acapella performances themselves are enjoyable enough, but they usually feel so glossy and over-rehearsed so as to no longer feel authentic. Anna Kendrick herself is also a genuinely good lead for this movie and she keeps it on the rails enough for it to be tolerable, though the romance aspect of her character arc is, like the rest of this movie, excruciatingly devoid of substance. She is, however, one of the few characters to have any sort of genuine personality and not just a cynical one-dimensional cardboard cutout stereotype for the purposes of cheap mockery.
If you're looking for a few cheap, awkward laughs, an empty clichéd romance subplot, and a cast of annoying characters all accompanied by some intermittent sugary sweet acapella pop song performances, "Pitch Perfect" is the movie for you. My only lingering question is: What is this movie supposed to be? A musical? A farce? A gross-out comedy? A cheap, cynical cash-grab for the teenage girl demographic? All of the above? I really don't know, but whatever it is, I can't say I much care for it.