Pitch Perfect... is somewhat off-key.

Oh man, so... Pitch Perfect.

I really wanted to like this movie because it really seemed like Hollywood tried to make a movie with female protagonists whose sole motivation isn't chasing boys and all; PLUS, I love me some a cappella singing. Sorry, just do. But there were so many things wrong with it that I just couldn't.



So the main character, played by Anna Kendrick, what was her name? Just watched the movie less than a week ago, have no idea. She really has some pipes, though. Ok, Anna Kendrick is a freshman at a university which has rival singing groups. The guys always win nationals. The women made finals for the first time last year, then the lead barfed on stage. Chances=ruined. Group, mostly disbanded. So they have to find a new team of ragtag misfits to try and underdog their way into beating the boys' group. Cool. There is a really cool character named "Fat Amy" who is confident and unapologetically sexual, and definitely one of the most together characters in the movie. Double cool.

The strongest message underneath the sketches of the plot, though, is that having personal boundaries and standing up for yourself is bad, ladies. It's just bitchy, geez, why can't you be nice for once? Also, casual sexual harassment ain't no thang.

Kendrick wants to go to LA and make music as a singer/producer/DJ. She has talent and drive for this. But her dad is a professor at this university and she's getting a "free" education, so he says she has to give it a try. Later he amends this to "try it for a year, give it an honest try, and if you don't like college I'll help you move to LA." This is so reasonable! Awesome! But thus she finds herself badgered into joining a singing group. After she gets into minor trouble, he informs her his assistance in moving to LA is off the table, and then immediately orders her into his car. She complies. WHY DID SHE COMPLY. You are no longer getting anything out of this that you want, protagonist! You don't even like the bitches in your singing group and they make you sing stuff you hate! Why do you not just take your dad at his word and move the fuck to LA right now?? That would have been a cooler movie.

But no, she sticks with the singing group for no discernible reward I can see. She also puts up with the attentions of a very self-assured/important dude from the rival singing group, when the only guy she shows actual interest in is the DJ at the local radio station. Dude from the other singing group is kinda creepy and possessive of her, even muttering under his breath about how DJ doesn't "know her like I do," and because he has put all this work into wooing her, he definitely deserves her. NICEGUY much?

Later, our charming protagonist quits the singing group because they are bitches and the leader is unreasonable and I was like YEAH! Go do you own thing! and she snaps at entitled boy because honestly she can fight her own battles and I was like Yeah! Stand up for yourself. But all of this is framed by the movie as bad. This is her tragic fall.  She goes to apologize to Entitled Dude for maybe being kinda snappy and he presumes to yell judgement at her for pushing away "everyone" who tries to get close to her. Which doesn't read to me, because she seemed to be reacting pretty rationally in pursuit of her own goals, but hey. BAD, according to the movie. UNHAPPY SOUNDTRACK MUSIC.

She gets happy soundtrack music and control of the singing group by groveling to the bitches for acceptance. She gets A KISS for making nice to Entitled boy. She gets Dadsmiles for admitting to him that she "pushes everyone away."

The women's singing group wins when they switch from conservative to "edgy/altgirl" outfits and sing better music. This is a shocker because normally girls are like, so boring, you guys. Guys are so much more creative.

Note: the men's singing group are douches throughout. But somehow in this alternative universe, we're supposed to accept that they're the cool kids. Also, the college politics are like no college to have ever existed, ever.

Casual sexual harassment: too much to count. Most notably, the leader of the rival singing group bounces a microphone off Fat Amy's boobs, repeatedly. And one of the singing group Bitches corners Kendrick in the shower, when they're both naked, to make her sing. (You can see part of it in the trailer, but the redhead gets even closer and creepier in the full scene.)

It was fucking awful to watch. Kendrick is clearly uncomfortable. She asks the other woman to back off many times. Kendrick is cowering against the shower wall and ends up actually turning her back to try and cover herself. All of this is played for laughs. I was grossed out and squirming in my seat, and I actually kept expecting the revelation through the movie that that chick was a lesbian, but it never came. (There was a lesbian... a heavy black woman with awesome hair, who was consistently awesome.)

So in summary: don't have boundaries, if you do you're a bitch. And sexual harassment is just a thing that happens, fuggedaboutit.