Pitch Perfect - B

Rated PG-13, 112 minutes

Enjoyable "Pitch Perfect" hits mostly fun notes

Anna Kendrick

The crowd-pleasing, boisterous comedy "Pitch Perfect" arrives in theaters this weekend, and it will please even those of us who can't carry a tune in public. The film is nothing new - it's essentially an a cappella "Glee" for the college set - but the charming cast and music will win you over. The ubiquitous Anna Kendrick ("End of Watch") is Becca, a talented but cynical, lonely girl into making music. As she struggles to fit in, she discovers the competitive world of college a cappella groups and finds herself in an all-girls a cappella group, some of whom like Chloe (Brittany Snow) and Aubrey (Anna Camp) are experienced, while others such as Amy (Rebel Wilson) are there to make friends. Pushed and challenged, the group will change more than she realizes. Predictable and slight, "Pitch Perfect" is still a pleasurable comic romp thanks to an engaging cast that includes Oscar-nominee Kendrick (who has a fine voice and does her own singing) and the biggest scene-stealer of the year in Wilson ("Bridesmaids" and the recent "Bachelorette," whose character calls herself "Fat Amy." While Wilson may be bigger than the other girls, she's a huge comic force and has an honest wit that helps her to essentially walk off with the movie, and most of these pixies she could likely carry on her back. The raunchy tone and "Glee"-esque plot is as old as the ages but the nice mash-up of tunes (the '80s tune "Don't You Forget (About Me)" is my favorite) and the cast is hard not to like. Speaking of which, Kendrick, playing the outsider here, is still cute as a button, and she grounds the film well. Even if you don't enjoy "Glee" (I'm not a big fan, sorry) or movie musicals, you'll still get a kick out of the winning, enjoyable "Pitch Perfect."

Wes's Grade: B