12/05/15 - Pitch Perfect 2 and Q+A with Anna Kendrick

No one wins competitions, right?  That's what I always thought, so you can imagine my surprise when I ended up winning the opportunity to head down to London for an advance screening of Pitch Perfect 2 with Stylist magazine followed by a Q+A with the film's star Anna Kendrick hosted by comedian Sarah Millican!  After a long and laborious coach journey down from Manchester (apparently I get really travel sick - who knew?), we began our time in London with some intense sight-seeing, hitting every landmark possible in a few hours before heading to the swanky Mayfair Hotel for the screening itself.  The venue was beautiful - we were greeted for a drinks reception in the Crystal Room which was incredibly impressive and full of excited chatter as the winners mingled and sipped free wine.

Soon, the time came to settle down in the cinema for the film and we managed to bag ourselves front row seats.  I won't say too much for fear of spoiling the movie for anyone who intends to watch it, but I will say that if you're a fan of the first Pitch Perfect film then you won't be disappointed!  The plot follows the Barden Bellas in their attempt to take the world by storm at the International Championship of Collegiate Acapella.  All the best ideas from the original are here in the sequel (a personal favourite of mine was this film's version of the 'riff-off' scene) and the performances of the entire cast were incredibly strong.  It's a fantastic feel-good film, full of brilliant music and powerful female friendships.  If you haven't seen it, you can go and watch the trailer here.

Following the screening, Sarah Millican and Anna Kendrick took to the stage for a fun-filled question and answer session.  The atmosphere didn't feel much like an interview - Sarah and Anna joked more than once that it felt more like a first date, and the dynamic between the two women made the conversation particularly enjoyable.  All kinds of topics were covered, from Anna's experiences of making a film with such a strong female cast all the way to the songs she sings around the house (anything from obscure musical theatre tracks to R Kelly's Ignition Remix and some classic Hilary Duff tunes, if you were interested).  Anna came across as incredibly funny and down-to-earth, and her normality is a huge part of her appeal to me and many others.  It's clear that the success she is currently enjoying isn't going to stop her from getting home from red carpet events to eat instant mac-and-cheese in her designer dress and hoping that she can celebrate her thirtieth birthday looking at funny animal photos in bed. 

An absolutely fantastic evening was had all round and I would like to extend my thanks to Stylist magazine for giving us the chance to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  If you're thinking about going to see Pitch Perfect 2, I highly recommend that you do!  It comes out in UK cinemas on Friday 15th May.