2013 MTV Movie Awards: Pitch perfect? Not quite

Host Rebel Wilson and the cast of "Pitch Perfect" perform onstage at the MTV Movie Awards at the Sony Pictures Studio lot.

By Glenn Whipp

April 15, 2013 12 AM PT

Sam Jackson cursed. Snoop Lion shared a blunt with Ke$ha. Selena Gomez was all “hurray for Bollywood.” (We think. What was that?) “Avengers” director Joss Whedon coined a new word while accepting the best movie award. (“What’s the opposite of humbled? We’re Biebered.”) And host Rebel Wilson and the “Pitch Perfect” gang raised the roof singing “Thrift Shop” to an audience of movie stars that, from all appearances, had used the No. 1 Macklemore song as the main inspiration for their evening’s wardrobe. (Don’t get us wrong: We loved the way Adam Sandler used a yellow T-shirt to bring out the blue in his flannel wear. Don’t ever change, Sandman.)

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards remained, as ever, both a fast-paced evening of self-promotion as well as a window into the current state of popular culture, which, depending on your tolerance for crotch jokes, would either rate as “hella good” or “hell in a handbasket.”

Summer movies (another “Star Trek,” another “Iron Man,” yet another “Fast and Furious”) were dutifully plugged, award-season scores were settled (Bradley Cooper takes down Daniel Day-Lewis ... finally!) and Aussie host Wilson made many, many, many references to a particular region down under. (If any drinking game included mentions of Wilson’s pleasure dome, participants surely passed out less than 45 minutes into the show.)

PHOTOS: 2013 MTV Music Awards - Arrivals

Wilson actually acquitted herself fairly well and did indeed become, as James Franco predicted in the funny, pre-taped opening bit, the “greatest Australian female host in history.” (Former Oscar host Franco also counseled her: “Hosting is a blast. Nobody will say anything bad about you.” Heh. Heh.)

Wilson’s opening “Pitch Perfect” musical set, which also included Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire,” set the world (or at least any 12-year-old girl’s world) on fire and a later joke about body acceptance both made a point while also comically trashing the idea that awards shows should be used to educate. (Apparently, Bradley Cooper didn’t get that memo.)

In between the commercials (and, really, this show is one continuous, two-hour advertisement for one product or another), awards were given and accepted, including a trio of the honorary variety. The lovely Emma Watson classed up the joint and not just because she, as presenter Eddie Redmayne put it, is “as irritatingly elegant and kind as she is talented.”

Watson spoke eloquently (and we’re not grading on a curve here) about the awkwardness inherent in being a young star, saying that she “found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in — even if it makes you vulnerable — amazing things can and will happen.”

PHOTOS: 2013 MTV Music Awards

Jamie Foxx and Will Ferrell also picked up career honors. Foxx plugged his upcoming SyFy show (yawn) and thanked his “team” (he does understand that this isn’t a real award, right?) while noting that his 19-year-old daughter is gorgeous and “single” and, apparently, ready to mingle. (Or maybe not. She looks a little mortified here.) Ferrell gave a shout-out to his “family” too, and proud we are of all of them. (And if you didn’t think that bit was funny, Ferrell said he’d be happy to discuss the matter with you -– accompanied by his pal Peter Dinklage -- in the parking lot after the show.)

The strangest part of Ferrell’s lengthy acceptance speech came when “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza crashed the stage and tried to “Kanye” Ferrell’s popcorn trophy. The moment apparently wasn’t scripted, and Plaza was asked to leave the premises. (“Aubrey Plaza,” Ferrell said, after she returned to her front-row seat. “Just like we rehearsed it.”)

“I think she wanted to tell me something important,” Ferrell said afterward, “but there was no message. It was just a lot of hot liquor breath.”

Which, in Plaza’s defense, could have described, oh, 95% of those in attendance. Or anyone playing the Rebel Wilson Down Under drinking game. It was that kind of evening. Bottoms up! (Yeah, we’re looking at you, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride.)

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