#10: Aca-scuse me! ‘Pitch Perfect’ is the stealth hit of the year (and Rebel Wilson is a star)

MANILA, Philippines - When it was shown in theaters here last October, we barely heard a sound, much less get a toner (“a musical boner”) — over Pitch Perfect, the college a cappella musical comedy starring Anna Kendrick. But alas, thanks to the Internet and illegal seeding, the movie has resurfaced to a bigger audience and emerged a breakout star. While a group of misfits spawning social imbalance isn’t the most original of movie formulas, it’s a formula that works. It’s a cop-out and an injustice to dismiss it as Glee: The Movie — because while it derives some of its musical chops from the TV show, Pitch Perfect is in a league of its own. A particular treat is the riff-off, a group battle in which they spew harmonic ammunition against each other to the tune of Madonna, or Boyz II Men. Pitch Perfect has gamely incubated and performed, much to our delight, a lot of pop songs we know and love. From Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone to Rihanna’s S & M to Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA, the movie is rich in pop culture references, but has also birthed potential new ones like mermaid dancing and horizontal running — delivered by Rebel Wilson a.k.a. Fat Amy, whose self-awareness is so palpable that it so obviously breeds a new teen movie heroine. Pitch Perfect is an official candidate to cult status not only because it stealthily stole our hearts, but also because it revived the isolation versus belongingness trope that we knew from Bring It On or Mean Girls. And well, because we can’t stop watching it over and over again. Aca-believe it.