Cast: I like Anna Kendrick. I'm not sure if it's because she wowed me in Up in the Air. Perhaps it's because I find her attractive. She could've earned my favor for being in 50/50. Maybe it will all go away when I realize she's in the Twilight movies. Whatever the case may be, she's a draw for me. It saddens me to see Brittany Snow so rarely because she can have Kelly Clarkson-level delightfulness when used right. Rebel Wilson is that great type of ubiquitous comedian who reeks of "flavor of the month" but is staggeringly entertaining while it lasts. I couldn't name another person (except for "oh, it's that guy") until much further down the call sheet, but I'd hardly call this a deep movie, so it's not worth trying.
Plot: I imagine this movie was developed by Disney as a PG reaction to Glee and High School Musical, then dropped when the craze died down, then scooped up some smaller production company, then rewritten with 20 more pages of PG-13 jokes. All-in-all, it's done effectively if not a little on the long side. The characters have the needed depth. The story follows the expected path. The jokes come often enough to not let things get too serious.
Scenario: I'm always fascinated by the effect of a crowd when seeing a movie. For example, I'd secretly wanted to see this movie for a while and found a good chance to do so with my cousins who quite enjoyed it as well. That allowed me to enjoy this much more than had I seen it in my general fashion, alone, or perhaps with people who I'd have to cajole to see it in the first place. As a result, I was reminded of when I saw Hairspray: a movie I never would've liked had I not seen with the favorable crowd I did. I always find that effect interesting.
Elephant in the Room: Why does this movie seem so familiar? That would be because it should've been made a decade ago. The whole time I was watching this, I kept waiting for someone to say "You are being a cheertator, Torrance, and a pain in my ass!". This movie belongs with Bring in On, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Can't Hardly Wait so much that it hurts, and for me, that's high praise.
To Sum Things Up:
There's a great number of people that will roll their eyes at my decision to see this, but I'm invoking my "if you aren't going to see it, you don't have room to judge me" policy. This was a slight but enjoyable movie. It's the kind I'd stop and watch on a Saturday afternoon on USA for the hell of it. It walks that fine line behind legitimate narrative and self-parody that most of the best teen comedies do. Above all else and most importantly, for a movie with teenagers singing, there is absolutely no note nor mention of Don't Stop Believin'. If that was all I could say about the movie, dayenu.
Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend
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