Pitch Perfect (2012)

An empty swimming pool hosts the best scene in Pitch Perfect, and nothing after it comes close. The riff-off, where rival groups have to jump to a new song on a single word, is pure fun. The rest is a decent college comedy glued to a sleepy romance. Skylar Astin’s Jesse is pleasant wallpaper, and Beca’s mashup genius mostly amounts to pressing play on two songs at once. Anna Kendrick is great anyway, dry and a little prickly, and her plastic cup audition earns its fame. Rebel Wilson steals every scene by saying the strangest possible thing with total confidence. John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks, as the commentators, say things no broadcaster should ever say on mic. A stage fright gross-out gag drags. Audiences gave it an A CinemaScore and $124.5 million worldwide. A 6.6 because the singing is a blast and the love story is elevator music. $900.28 says you grab a plastic cup at your next party and try the audition routine, and you get through about half of it.

What works: The riff-off in the empty pool, Anna Kendrick’s cup audition, and Rebel Wilson’s fearless weirdness.

What doesn’t: The romance with Jesse is flat, Beca’s mashups are less impressive than the movie thinks, and the stage fright gross-out gag drags.

Who it’s for: Anyone who was ever in a choir, a band or a club that took itself way too seriously.