Pitch Perfect (2012)

To be really critical of a movie like "Pitch Perfect" is, I think, to miss the point, which is that there are times when you just want to have fun watching a movie. And so instead of spending my time dissecting a film like this for its simple plot filled with dead-ends and underdeveloped ideas or comparing it to the existing stories it unashamedly rips off (New York Daily News' Elizabeth Weitzman brilliantly calls out its mashing up of "Glee," "Bring it On," and the food-poisoning scene from "Bridesmaids"), I'm going to judge the movie the way I always force myself to judge a movie, which is to answer one simple question: How well did this film accomplish what it appears to have set out to accomplish?

The trick is, of course, to decide what you think a film was trying to accomplish. Judging from the way "Pitch Perfect" was assembled, I don't suspect they were going for Oscar nominations. With that in mind, I deduced that the film was intended to make me laugh and, as a lover of music and, in particular, a cappella, to make me want to listen to the musical numbers repeatedly. Mission accomplished on both counts, which means that ultimately, I have to say I enjoyed "Pitch Perfect" enough to give it my stamp of approval. Still, the critic in me can't help but notice all of the missed opportunities with the film, ultimately making it something solidly fun, rather than great.

The world of a cappella singing - a world I personally participated in when I was in college, too - is merely a backdrop here for grouping some interesting young characters together here. Edgy new Barden College undergrad Beca (Anna Kendrick, who I fell in love with in her Oscar-nominated performance in "Up in the Air") gets a free ride at Barden because her dad teaches there, but all she wants to do is head to L.A. and be the next David Guetta (a famous DJ/producer, for you uninformed).

Encouraged to experience campus life, Beca discovers that Barden is host to not even two but four duelling a cappella groups on campus, chief among them the "bad boys of a cappella," The Treblemakers, and their female rivals, The Barden Bellas, a group too unhip to generate any interest from Beca at the college activities fair but one she will ultimately join when one of its leaders overhears her singing in a dorm shower.

Once in the Bellas, we quickly learn that Beca's knowledge of current trends and what's cool puts her on the outside looking in; under the direction of the uptight Aubrey (Anna Camp), the Bellas continue to hammer away at the same old musical program, hoping for a year when they'll perfect it at Nationals. (Why it goes wrong in their most recent attempt is one of the film's earliest moments of gross-out hilarity.)

Becca's DJ-ing sensibilities start to make inroads in the thinking of some of the group's more persuadable members, chief among them Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), a saucy handful and loose canon who has nicknamed herself to steal the joy from any "skinny bitches" who would come up with such a moniker for her behind her back. Before long, the girls are learning how to mix snippets of other tunes in with their full-length offerings, creating the template for what will eventually lead to their success.

While what I've explained so far might make it seem as though a person interested in vocal music would get an in-depth exploration of that world, let me assure you that I've already explained everything, and the world of a cappella is far better explored on NBC's "The Sing-Off" than it is here. In fact, "Pitch Perfect" is content with every cliche imaginable, from the auditions scene to the one nerdy kid who's secretly amazing but isn't allowed into the group to the rap-battle-styled jockeying for inner-group alpha supremacy to the regionals-sectionals-nationals competition scenes. All present here. All by the book.

And yet somehow, it doesn't matter. A genuinely sweet (though completely predictable) romance begins to bloom between Beca and the charming Jesse (Skylar Astin), the newest star of The Treblemakers and a "Breakfast Club" devotee. A clever "West Side Story"-inspired sing-off happens one evening in which the four groups play a clever game of finish-the-phrase with pop tunes, Beca's first real chance to prove her worth and one of the film's sassiest and most purely fun moments.

Director Jason Moore comes to the film from the Broadway stage, having been nominated for a Tony for directing "Avenue Q." So it's no surprise that "Pitch Perfect" is probably at its most enjoyable during the film's musical numbers. Moore is not yet experienced enough to do much to elevate the thin writing of Kay Cannon, a TV writer with a short resume.

And yet what's fun about "Pitch Perfect" is that it's clearly the kind of film where if you loved it the first time, you can find yourself watching it over and over again, quickly learning how to quote from it and exchanging favorite lines and moments with friends. My daughter, for example, has already watched the film three times, and at my sister's house, the film has played virtually on a loop for the past three weeks. For better or for worse, it's the kind of film where you can just jump in wherever you find it (once you've seen the whole thing) and enjoy it for a few minutes. Everyone needs a few movies like that.

As I mentioned earlier, there are some unforgivable plot holes in "Pitch Perfect," as well as other missed opportunities, like the woeful under-use of Ben Platt as Benji, the nerd looking for his big break in The Treblemakers who eventually gets his one song, even though Platt is the finest singer out of all of the film's cast members. My wife and I recently saw Platt starring as Elder Cunningham in the Chicago production of "The Book of Mormon" and thought he was the best thing about a show full of best things, so amazing that he actually bests the work of original Broadway star Josh Gad. So selfishly, I was sad that I didn't get to hear Platt sing more in the film.

In the end, "Pitch Perfect" lives up to its title sporadically if not ultimately. It's good, but not great. But it because a surprise hit this year, and I suspect it's the kind of movie I'll add to my DVD and CD shelves and enjoy many, many times, a clear trifle of a movie but one that accomplishes its goal of just making you smile for a little while.

★ ★ ★