Pass the Popcorn: Pitch Perfect

On Sunday, my teen daughter was supposed to compete in an equestrian event called a Hunter Trial. This meant that we would spend most of the day out in the fields, trying to catch a glimpse of her riding through the woods. I'm not complaining, really. This is how we spend pretty much every weekend.

And, then something happened. It rained.

A quick text from the show's organizer and we had a whole unexpected free day in front of us. Hooray.

After my daughter got over her initial disappointment, she settled in on the couch to watch one of her favorite shows on our iPad. The idea of her wasting an entire day got to me. So, I suggested I take her and some friends to the movies.

Now before you tell me that I simply traded one screen for another, let me explain. Meeting friends, actually traveling to a theatre (in our case, that's about 25 minutes in the car), shopping for junk food, gossiping before the movie, comparing notes after ... I think it's a much more active afternoon than simply staring at video on a tablet. Should I have suggested a museum instead? Probably. But, somehow I don't think that would have been met with much enthusiasm.

Anyway, the movie I suggested was Pitch Perfect. A BFF had already seen it and said it was great. Apparently, it was about a girls' singing group and the teasers we had seen looked funny. It reminded me of an edgier Glee!

Usually, I drive my daughter and her friends to the theatre, then they go to one movie and I go to another. That way, they have their privacy as well as their chauffeur. This time though, the other options were limited. When I warned my daughter that I was going to see Pitch Perfect too, she was less than thrilled. I reassured her that I would sit far away from her and her friends and pretend I didn't know them. This was but a small consolation. However, she didn't have much of a choice.

We arrived early and I went to the box office while the girls raided the discount store Below 5 for candy. Once inside, they headed up into the stadium seating while I settled into a seat in the third row. I have always liked my movies up close and personal.

After too many ads, too many previews and too many warnings about shutting off our cell phones, the film started. As expected, it centered around a college a capella group, called the Barden Belles. With the bulk of their prissy team graduating, they have to recruit an array of misfit singers, who don't really fit the mold. There's a "lezzie" and a "fatty" and a sexpot and an angry edgy girl — all stereotypes, but fun. Eventually they embrace everyone's unique talents and personalities. Of course, they win Nationals. Yay. 

Pitch Perfect was pitch perfectly what I expected except for one technicolor plot element. The leader of the group, a pretty blonde named Aubrey, blows under pressure. I mean, she really blows. As in, blows chunks.

Eeeeeeew!

This charming twist happened not once but twice (three times, actually, if you count an onscreen replay via YouTube). It was as though the movie had miraculously morphed from Glee! into Bridesmaids. Or The Hangover. And, in case the actual vomiting wasn't gross enough (trust me, it was, I think they used baked beans, lots and lots of baked beans), one fairly vacant member of the Belles falls into a pool of puke and proceeds to make a snow angel.

I repeat ... eeeeeeeeew!

Not the sort of girl power movie I was hoping for. (When did chick flicks become upchuck flicks?)

Nevertheless, my girls seemed to enjoy it. On the way home, they gave the movie high marks and relived some of the funnier moments. They agreed that the ending was satisfying — predictable, but satisfying. No one said anything about the you-know-what.

Stomach troubles aside, it was a nice afternoon all around. It will just be a while before I serve baked beans again.