Welcome to 5 Favorites. Each week, I will put together a list of my 5 favorites (films, performances, whatever strikes my fancy) along with commentary on a given topic each week, usually in relation to a specific film releasing that week.
Expanding wide this weekend is Alice, Darling an exploration of psychological spousal abuse with Kendrick as a beautiful young woman trapped in a seemingly loving relationship where she’s being controlled by a microaggressive man while her best friends are trying to help save her from the situation. While Kendrick is a gifted comedian and singer, it’s always good to stretch, which she hasn’t done enough of since her Best Supporting Actress nomination for Up in the Air, one of the five films on my list of favorite films featuring Kendrick.
Up in the Air (2009)
Recently, I discussed this film relating to George Clooney as being one of his best. It was also one of Anna Kendrick’s best and for us Oscar watchers, it was our first introduction to the young actor who would go on to become a familiar face to her generation thanks to a later film on this list. Kendrick had talent then and has just shown how much it can grow over the intervening decade.
Up in the Air is about firm that specializes in downsizing, hired by major corporations to come in and wind down a particular office. Kendrick wants to modernize the company while Clooney wants to stick to its old ways. Taking Kendrick on the road, Clooney tries to show her the benevolence and humanity in the way he handles the most awful of jobs. Kendrick brings her youth to bear on a role that feels as much a part of the millennial generation as Clooney’s does as part of Gen X and while neither are precisely adversarial, they represent different ways at going about the same problem with one imparting wisdom on the other that can benefit them both.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
The advent of comic adaptations had already come to pass and studios were looking for every opportunity to take popular graphic novels and turn them into big screen adventures. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is just one such example and it’s better than a lot of the other adaptations that have ever been released. It’s about awkward teen Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who meets and falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
The only trouble is that before he can date her, he must first defeat her evil exes in combat. This video game-adjacent premise makes for fascinating viewing. Not only are the explorations and struggles of youth laid bare, they are colorfully executed and visually stunning. It’s no surprise that Edgar Wright is behind this dazzling spectacle and while Kendrick barely has a role in it, playing Scott’s sister, she’s always a pleasant surprise when turning up somewhere unexpected.
Pitch Perfect (2012)
She might have an Oscar nomination for Up in the Air, but this is the role she will forever be associated with this hit series of musicals starring Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Deen, Hana Mae Lee, and an array of other powerful singers as a collegiate A Cappella group who seek to return their house to prominence after a disastrous performance at the prior year’s national championship finals. Kendrick’s Beca has dreams of becoming a record producer. Using her skill at creating mash-up mixes of songs, she helps propel the Barden Bellas into the limelight and the semifinals.
There, internal rivalries and egos threaten to tear the group apart, but they come together in the end. Kendrick has a tremendous voice, as do the rest of the women in the cast and if you like A Cappella renditions of popular songs, you’ll love this. Even if you don’t, there’s plenty of familial energy, girl power, and firecracker spirit to carry the film to its conclusion. That’s not a slight on the script which is great even if it is a bit simple and familiar.
The Accountant (2016)
One of Ben Affleck’s best performance is in this riveting crime thriller. Affleck plays a high-functioning autistic accountant who uncovers embezzlement and is put on a hit list as a result. As he tries to unravel who the culprit is, other people in his orbit are targeted or killed. Kendrick plays an accountant at the company Affleck is working for and who brought the situation to Treasury Department’s attention. While there are some flirtations between the two characters, their working relationship keeps them at arms length until Kendrick also becomes a target of the hitmen, which pushes Affleck to the brink and he goes in search of the malefactor to punish him.
Writer/director Gavin O’Connor (Tumbleweeds) only helms the film based on a screenplay by Bill Dubuque (later the creator of hit TV series Ozark). This tightly scripted thriller provides plenty of tense situations and compelling moments even though it moves somewhat slowly. Affleck gives his character a humane portrayal, focusing on his skill rather than overplaying the autism angle and it keeps the character from playing to broadly and stereotypically. Kendrick has more to do here than she did in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but not much more, though she does fine with what she’s given.
No original review available.
Trolls (2016)
The rare situation where I think someone’s vocal talents added immeasurably to the success of an animated film, Trolls is carried entirely on Kendrick’s shoulder. As Poppy, a happy-go-lucky troll who’s appreciation of music acts as a guiding beacon to all those around her, her peppy spirit and vibrant personality make her well liked by all but one. Branch (Justin Timberlake) is a cynical survivalist who expects the worst to happen and detests how the society around him goes on blissfully without concern for impending doom.
The trolls’ incautiousness leads them to a dangerous place when discovered by a race called the Bergens who believe they can only be happy by consuming the peppy trolls. After many of their number are captured, Poppy and Branch go off in search of their kin to try and rescue them from a horrible fate. The film is visually splendid, bursting with colors and excitement and filled with terrific renditions of popular hits, including one Timberlake wrote for the film itself. Kendrick’s bubbly personality comes through with passion and while she is the prime reason for the film’s success, Timberlake showcases some acting chops that are fresh and surprising. Ultimately, it’s a kid-friendly film that adults can enjoy simply for the boisterous musical numbers.
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