With an uninspired, forced love story, a handful of annoying a capella performances and an ending that’s sickeningly predictable, “Pitch Perfect” should have been cast aside as one of the lesser movies of the year. But thanks to strong writing and solid performances from its leads, the movie has a quirky charm that can’t be denied. “Pitch Perfect” is the film debut for both writer Kay Cannon and director Jason Moore. Cannon’s writing has the uncanny ability to simultaneously be hilariously snarky and heartfelt, while Moore’s background as a theater director suits the film well for its musical performance scenes. Lead actress Anna Kendrick carries much of the film with a typically charismatic performance, while “Bridesmaids” breakout Rebel Wilson steals plenty of scenes. The biggest mistake anyone could make would be to brush the film off as a “Glee” knock-off. It may not be perfect, but the film’s energy is more than enough to keep it entertaining.

Grade: B-