Movie bingo puts the perfect in ‘Pitch Perfect’

The Hearth Lounge was home to another installment of movie bingo last Monday, as the fictional Barden Bellas from the film traveled from the silver screen to the Mankato scene to entertain students.

Movie bingo is similar to regular bingo, except instead of numbers, there are quotable or funny movie moments on the sheet that you mark off.

This week’s movie was “Pitch Perfect,” a comedy surrounding a group of collegiate a cappella singers called the Barden Bellas as they sing their way up from the laughing stock of the campus to Barden University royalty, and nationwide title holders at prominent college singing competitions. 

After most of the Bellas graduate from college at the beginning of the film, the two remaining singers, Aubrey and Chloe, are forced to accept anyone who applies, rounding up a ragtag group of mean, nice and outright weird women.

The main character, Becca, played by Anna Kendrick, joins the team and encourages them to break out of their repetitive rut of dated, mid-tempo and mid-2000’s anthems, opting instead for more modern, harmonic hits, ultimately proving successful for the team. 

The film is not shy of memorable and quotable moments, and reminds many college students of younger, more innocent times. According to Paige Johaneson, first-year Stomper’s Cinema Chair for the Student Events Team, “Pitch Perfect” was a must for this week’s movie bingo.

Another factor playing into the movie decision was the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday; more specifically, the day before it, informally referred to as “Galentine’s Day.” Galentine’s Day is celebrated on Valentine’s Day Eve, and is aimed to give more appreciation to close friends rather than romantic loved ones. 

“This event is to celebrate Galentine’s Day, which is the day before Valentine’s Day and meant to be spent with friends. I chose “Pitch Perfect” for this movie bingo because of its nostalgia for our generation and theme of friendship, which ties into Galentine’s Day,” Johaneson said.

This is not the first time MSU has been home to a movie bingo. Last November, Johaneson also organized a movie bingo event for “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” as a part of family weekend. 

According to Johaneson, the event was a total success, spelling out good news for upcoming movie bingos yet to be planned.

“The movie bingo from Family Weekend was successful, we had a good turnout and students had fun. “Minions” was a great family-friendly option, so parents, kids, and students all got to participate and enjoy the night,” Johaneson said. 

The “Pitch Perfect” bingo also boasted a wide array of prizes for the bingo victors, such as Valentine’s Day candy, movies, or board games.

Playing a match of bingo while watching a movie you’re already familiar with can make the whole experience more fun and invigorating, according to Johaneson. And the prizes aren’t bad, either.

“Movie Bingo adds an activity to a movie that is already fun to see, so getting to follow along with your friends to try to win a prize is a great way to hangout with friends and have fun on campus,” Johaneson said.

For information on future Stomper’s Cinema events or movie showtimes, students can go to stomperscinema.com.

Header Photo: Students snuggle into sofas as they try their luck winning a “Pitch Perfect” movie bingo, trying to win Valentine’s Day candy, movies and board games. (Lilly Anderson/The Reporter)

Write to Joey Erickson at joseph.erickson.2@mnsu.edu