Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon.[3] It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Wanetah Walmsley, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt, Utkarsh Ambudkar, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. The plot follows Barden University's all-girl acappella group, The Barden Bellas, as they compete against another acappella group from their college to win Nationals. The film is loosely adapted from Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book, titled Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory. Filming concluded in December 2011, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[4]

For other uses, see Pitch Perfect (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with perfect pitch.

Pitch Perfect
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJason Moore
Produced by
Screenplay byKay Cannon
Based onPitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory
by Mickey Rapkin
Starring
Music by
CinematographyJulio Macat
Edited byLisa Zeno Churgin
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • September 24, 2012 (2012-09-24) (Cinerama Dome)
  • October 5, 2012 (2012-10-05) (United States)
Running time
112 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[2]
Box office$115.4 million[2]

The film premiered in Los Angeles on September 24, 2012[5] and was released on October 5, 2012 in the United States. The film received positive reviews from critics and became a sleeper hit,[6] earning over $115 million worldwide. It is the first film in the film series and was followed by two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).

Plot

During the 2011 ICCA Finals at Lincoln Center, Barden University’s all-female acappella group, the Barden Bellas, lose to their all-male rival group, the Barden University Treblemakers, due to junior member Aubrey Posen vomiting on stage in the middle of her solo. Four months later, newly arrived Barden University freshman Beca Mitchell has no desire to attend college but is forced to do so by her father, a literature professor at the university, with whom Beca has a strained relationship. Wishing she could instead pursue a career as a music producer in Los Angeles, Beca spends her time making mash-up mixes of songs and takes up an internship at the school radio station, where she gets to know fellow freshman Jesse Swanson.

At the university’s activities fair, Beca is invited to join the Bellas by seniors and current co-leaders Aubrey and Chloe Beale, but she declines. Later, Chloe discovers Beca’s talent for singing and convinces her to audition. Beca is late to the audition, but Chloe allows her to perform for them anyway. She auditions with a rendition of "Cups (When I'm Gone)", getting her into the Bellas along with Cynthia Rose Adams, Stacie Conrad, Lilly Onakuramara, Jessica Smith, Ashley Jones, Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, and Denise. Meanwhile, Jesse joins the Treblemakers.

The Bellas participate in the 2012 ICCA Regionals, where, at Aubrey's insistence, they perform the same medley that helped the Bellas advance to the Finals the previous year. In spite of their stale setlist, the group manages to place second, sending them to the Semi-Finals. After the competition, the Bellas try to break up a fight between the Treblemakers and the Tonehangers, a male alumni a-cappella group. Beca and Fat Amy accidentally smash a window with the Treblemakers' trophy, which alerts a police officer who then arrests Beca. Jesse contacts Beca's dad to bail her out, causing a rift in her relationship with both men.

Aubrey insists on performing the same medley a third time, despite Beca urging the group to be more daring. In the midst of their performance, Beca, hoping to reinvigorate the disinterested crowd, inserts an impromptu layering of "Bulletproof" into the set. Aubrey angrily berates Beca for this and accuses her of hooking up with Jesse, a rule breach punishable by ejection from the Bellas. Jesse overhears and attempts to deny it, leading Beca to snap at them both and quit the Bellas.

Despite the judges and crowd being impressed with Beca's improvisation, the Bellas do not advance to the Finals due to their third-place ranking behind the Treblemakers and the Footnotes. However, Jesse’s roommate Benji Applebaum finds out that Footnotes leader Timothy is a high school student and reports it, which disqualifies the Footnotes and allows the Bellas to advance to the Finals.

After spring break, Beca tries to apologize to Jesse, but he rejects her, accusing her of pushing away everyone that cares about her. During the Bellas' rehearsal, Chloe stands up against Aubrey's stubbornness, sparking a fight over the group's pitch pipe. However, Beca returns, apologizes to the Bellas for changing the set without Aubrey's permission during the Semi-Finals, and asks to be given a second chance. After all of the Bellas have a heart-to-heart conversation, Beca rejoins the group, and Aubrey relinquishes her half of the leadership to Beca.

Meanwhile, Treblemakers leader Bumper Allen leaves the group after being offered a job as a back-up singer for John Mayer. With Bumper gone, Jesse persuades the Trebles to let Benji join the group in Bumper's place, a position Benji was denied earlier in the film in spite of his impressive audition.

At the Finals, the Bellas perform a modern piece arranged by Beca, which includes "Don't You (Forget About Me)", a song featured in The Breakfast Club, one of Jesse's favorite movies. This acts as a more effective apology, and after the performance, she and Jesse kiss. The Bellas defeat the Treblemakers and win the national championship. Six months later, auditions for new members take place.

Cast
The Barden Bellas
  • Anna Kendrick as Beca Mitchell, an introverted and rebellious freshman who joins the Barden Bellas to appease her professor father.
  • Rebel Wilson as Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, a comical and confident singer from Tasmania.
  • Anna Camp as Aubrey Posen, the uptight and traditionalist co-leader of the Bellas.
  • Brittany Snow as Chloe Beale, the kinder and more civil co-leader of the Bellas.
  • Alexis Knapp as Stacie Conrad, a highly sexually driven member of the Bellas.
  • Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose Adams, a soul singer.
  • Hana Mae Lee as Lilly Onakuramara, a strange quietly-spoken student but a talented beatboxer.
  • Kelley Alice Jakle as Jessica, bubbly yet absent-minded.
  • Wanetah Walmsley as Denise, the group's original bassist.
  • Shelley Regner as Ashley, a beatboxer.
The Treblemakers
  • Skylar Astin as Jesse Swanson, an outgoing Barden freshman who hopes to one day become a film score composer.
  • Adam DeVine as Bumper Allen, the egotistical leader of the Treblemakers.
  • Ben Platt as Benji Applebaum, Jesse's roommate, friend, and an illusionist.
  • Utkarsh Ambudkar as Donald, Bumper's right-hand man, a lead vocalist, beatboxer, and rapper.
  • Michael Viruet as Unicycle
  • David Del Rio as Kolio
Others

In addition, Joe Lo Truglio, Har Mar Superstar, Jason Jones, and Donald Faison appear as the Tonehangers, an older, long-graduated, a cappella group that gets into a fight with the Bellas and Treblemakers, while Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Barden student Tommy, who organizes the school’s auditions.

Production

The film is based on Mickey Rapkin's 2012 period piece non-fiction book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory. Rapkin, senior editor at GQ magazine, spent a season covering competitive collegiate a cappella. He followed the Tufts University Beelzebubs (the inspiration for the Treblemakers), the University of Oregon Divisi (the loose inspiration for the Bellas), and the University of Virginia Hullabahoos, who have a cameo in the film. Rapkin's book mainly covers the singing, groupies, partying and rivalries. Two members of the a cappella community, Deke Sharon, who founded the International Championship of College A Cappella, and Ed Boyer, both in Rapkin's book, were brought on board to arrange songs, produce vocals and act as on-site music directors, where they ran a month-long "a cappella boot camp".[7] The film was shot throughout campus and inside buildings at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[8] Elizabeth Banks is a co-producer and a co-star in the film.[8]

Casting

The casting department included Justin Coulter, Rich Delia, Allison Estrin, and Michael Roth.[9] Producer Elizabeth Banks appears throughout the film alongside John Michael Higgins as commentators for the competitions.[10]

Paul Brooks stated "First and foremost, we were looking for actors who had comedic instincts and thought we'd get lucky with terrific actors who happened to be funny and can actually dance and maybe sing. It turns out we did get lucky with our cast!"[11] According to producer Elizabeth Banks, "The character Beca required someone who was grounded, who has a strong point of view on the world, who is funny and empathetic and someone who we can all relate to and root for." Of Kendrick, she said, "Anna is all those things, and there was no other choice." Fellow producer Brooks said "I saw Anna in Up in the Air and thought it was the most exquisite, elegant, balanced, sublime performance. Anna was our first choice for the role of Beca."[11]

When casting the character of Jesse, Max Handelman said "We were looking for a young John Cusack-type guy. We needed to find someone who was kind of awkward but not a geek, but not so cool that you're not rooting for him." Skylar Astin was chosen for the role. Of Astin's audition, Banks said the chemistry between Skylar and Anna when they read together prior to shooting was "clear and they were able to riff off each other."[11]

Rebel Wilson was recognized for her performance in the comedy film Bridesmaids upon auditioning for the role of Fat Amy, which she won instantly. Moore recalled Wilson singing Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory" while beating "on her chest with her fists." He said, "I didn't even hear the end of the song because I was laughing so hard. There's this beautiful openness to the way Rebel approaches everything, and that's what works great for the character. She's fearless."[11] Adam DeVine was personally chosen by Banks and Handelman for the role of Bumper after they saw him on the television series Workaholics. Banks confessed that she and her husband are "big Workaholics fans," and after watching one night during the film's casting, they saw DeVine and "immediately thought" he would be a good choice for Bumper. He initially declined because he was not a singer. DeVine eventually surprised Banks and Handelman with his vocal skills.[11] Anna Camp was chosen for the role of Aubrey. Producer Max Handelman said, "Elizabeth and I were huge fans of Anna's from True Blood. Aubrey is set up as the antagonist for Beca, and Beca's already a bit hard-edged, so it was so important to find an actress who could play Aubrey as someone who could marshal the crazy but also was sympathetic."[11]

According to Brie Larson she said auditioned for a role in Pitch Perfect.[12]

Release

The film was released on October 5, 2012, in the United States. In Australia, it was released on December 6, 2012.

Home media

Pitch Perfect was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on December 18, 2012.[13] A 4K UHD Blu-Ray release followed on March 22, 2018.[14]

Reception
Rebel Wilson was praised for her performance.[15]

Box office

Pitch Perfect grossed $65 million in North America and $50.3 million in other territories for a total gross of $115.4 million since release, against a $17 million budget.[2]

The film opened in limited release in the United States and Canada on September 28, 2012, and wide release in the United States and Canada on October 5, 2012. It grossed $1.8 million upon its opening day of limited release and $4.9 million on its first day of wide release.[16] In its wide opening weekend, the film opened at number three, behind Taken 2 and Hotel Transylvania, grossing $14.8 million.[17] The opening weekend audience was 81 percent female, which is considered overwhelming. The opening weekend also attracted a younger audience with 55% of the opening weekend audience being under the age of 25.[18] The film is the third-highest-grossing music comedy film, behind its sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, and School of Rock.[2]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 80% based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 6.39/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Pitch Perfect's plot is formulaic, but the performances are excellent and the musical numbers are toe-tapping as well."[19] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[21]

NPR's David Edelstein selected it as one of the top films of the year[22] and Entertainment Weekly chose the soundtrack as one of the year's best.[23] Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars out of 4, praising Rebel Wilson for her "ebullient, unstoppable and raucous" performance, but also stating that "It's a twentysomething song-and-dance movie built around rival a cappella groups. That's more exciting than dueling string quartets, I suppose - but no, the quartets would be performing better material."[15]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations for Pitch Perfect
Award Category Nominees Result
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Actress in a Comedy Rebel Wilson Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society Award Breakthrough Performance Rebel Wilson Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors[24] Best Music in a Musical Feature Film Pitch Perfect Won
MTV Movie Award[25] Best Breakthrough Performance Rebel Wilson Won
Best Musical Moment Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, and Hana Mae Lee Won
Best WTF Moment Anna Camp ("Hack-Appella") Nominated
Best Female Performance Rebel Wilson Nominated
People's Choice Award Favorite Comedy Movie Pitch Perfect Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Rebel Wilson Nominated
Teen Choice Awards[26] Choice Movie: Comedy Pitch Perfect Won
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy Anna Kendrick Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy Rebel Wilson Won
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy Skylar Astin Won
Choice Movie: Scene Stealer Ben Platt Nominated
Choice Movie: Scene Stealer Hana Mae Lee Nominated
Choice Movie: Breakout Adam DeVine Nominated
Choice Movie: Villain Adam DeVine Won
American Music Awards Favorite Soundtrack Pitch Perfect Won

Soundtrack
Main article: Pitch Perfect (soundtrack)

Pitch Perfect: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released digitally on September 25, 2012, and physically on October 2, 2012.[27] Three of the songs from the album, including the highly covered "Cups", charted on the Billboard Hot 100. It was 2013's best-selling soundtrack album and has sold 1.2 million copies in the United States as of April 2015.[28][29]

On September 14, Kira Kazantsev won Miss America 2015 after performing "Happy" with cup percussion,[30] in a manner that was similar to Anna Kendrick's character in Pitch Perfect.[31]

Sequels

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
Main article: Pitch Perfect 2

In December 2012, Skylar Astin revealed that he and Rebel Wilson had meetings with Universal about a potential sequel.[32]

In April 2013, it was confirmed that a sequel would be released in 2015.[33] Elizabeth Banks would direct the sequel with Kay Cannon returning as screenwriter.[34] Brooks would produce for Gold Circle Films with Banks and Max Handelman producing for Brownstone Productions. Kay Cannon would co-produce with Gold Circle's Jeff Levine. Kendrick, Astin, Wilson, Camp, Snow, Platt, DeVine, Dean, Knapp, Jakle, Regner, Walmsley, Banks and Higgins would all reprise their roles in the sequel. Additionally, Hailee Steinfeld and Chrissie Fit would join the cast as Emily and Flo, the new Barden Bellas while Katey Sagal would join as Katherine Junk and German YouTube star Flula Borg would appear as Pieter Kramer.[35][36]

It was announced in January 2014 that the sequel would be released on May 15, 2015.[37] On June 10, 2015, plans for a third film were officially confirmed, with Kay Cannon returning to write the script.[38]

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
Main article: Pitch Perfect 3

On June 10, 2015, a third film was officially confirmed, with Kay Cannon returning to write the script.[39] The film was slated to be released on July 21, 2017, before being pushed back to August 4, 2017, and then moving back to the July 21 slot.[40] Finally it was decided to be released on December 22, 2017. Several days later it was announced both Kendrick and Wilson would reprise their roles, and later Brittany Snow was also confirmed to return.[41] Hailee Steinfeld is also going to reprise her role.[42] On October 18, 2016, Anna Camp was also confirmed to be returning. On January 2, 2017, Ester Dean and Chrissie Fit both confirmed that they were heading to Atlanta to film the third installment, reprising their roles.[43] Banks was going to return to direct, and also as a producer along with Max Handelman and Paul Brooks.[44] Banks later announced that she would be stepping down as director due to scheduling conflicts and parental responsibilities, but would remain a producer.[45]

References
  1. "PITCH PERFECT". British Board of Film Classification. September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  2. "Pitch Perfect (2012)". Box Office Mojo.
  3. "Pitch Perfect Trailer, News, Videos and Reviews". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  4. "Pitch Perfect (2012) – Filming Locations". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  5. THR Staff (September 25, 2012). "'Pitch Perfect' Premiere Arrivals: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks Gallery". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. Buchanan, Kyle (October 23, 2013). "Who Will Make 2014's Most Valuable Stars List?". Vulture. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  7. "PITCH PERFECT – Production Notes". Cinema Review. 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  8. "'Pitch Perfect' finds ideal shooting locations on campus". Lsureveille.com. November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  9. "Pitch Percect (2012); full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  10. Stransky, Tanner (November 28, 2011). "Elizabeth Banks talks 'Hunger Games' and new film 'Pitch Perfect'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  11. "Production Notes" (PDF). Universal Studios. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  12. "Brie Larson: AUDITION STORYTIME! (pt. 2)". YouTube. September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  13. "Pitch Perfect (2012) DVD and Blu-ray". VideoETA. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  14. "Pitch Perfect - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest". ultrahd.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  15. Ebert, Roger. "Pitch Perfect movie review & film summary (2012)". Chicago Sun-Times.
  16. "Pitch Perfect (2012) – Daily Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  17. "Weekend Box Office Results for October 5–7, 2012". Box Office Mojo.
  18. "Weekend Report: 'Taken 2' Kills, 'Frankenweenie' Fails". Box Office Mojo. October 7, 2012.
  19. "Pitch Perfect (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  20. "Pitch Perfect reviews". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  21. Andrew Stewart (October 7, 2012). "'Taken 2′ nabs $50 mil to double predecessor's debut take". Variety.
  22. Edelstein, David (December 21, 2012). "David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  23. Valby, Karen (December 6, 2012). "'Les Miserables' and the best movie soundtracks of 2012". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  24. King, Susan (January 17, 2013). "'Argo,' 'The Hobbit' in contention for Golden Reel awards". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  25. Warner, Denise (April 14, 2013). "2013 MTV Movie Awards winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  26. Ng, Philiana (May 22, 2013). "Teen Choice Awards: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2' Leads First Wave of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  27. "Pitch Perfect Track List" (PDF). Universal Studios. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  28. Grein, Paul (January 2, 2014). "Chart Watch: The Top 10 Albums and Songs of 2013". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  29. Lipshutz, Jason (April 21, 2015). "Why Are Soundtracks Suddenly Back? Because They're Better Than Ever". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  30. "Miss New York Kira Kazantsev Crowned Miss America 2015". WABC-TV. September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  31. "A threepeat: Miss New York Kira Kazantsev crowned Miss America". CNN. September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  32. Orange, B. Alan (December 19, 2012). "EXCLUSIVE: Pitch Perfect 2 in the Works; Rebel Wilson to Return". MovieWeb. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  33. Smith, Grady (April 16, 2013). "'Pitch Perfect' sequel coming in 2015". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  34. Kroll, Justin (January 27, 2014). "Elizabeth Banks to Direct 'Pitch Perfect 2′". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  35. Highfill, Samantha (February 6, 2014). "Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson will return for 'Pitch Perfect 2'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  36. Bahr, Lindsaay (February 14, 2014). "Casting Net: Brittany Snow is back for 'Pitch Perfect 2'; Plus, Jessica Alba, more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  37. "'Pitch Perfect 2' release date set for May 2015". January 30, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  38. Kit, Borys (June 10, 2015). "'Pitch Perfect 3' Moving Forward at Universal With Writer Kay Cannon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  39. "'Pitch Perfect 3' Moving Forward at Universal With Writer Kay Cannon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  40. "'Pitch Perfect 3' Changes Its Performance Date To August 2017". deadline.com. September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  41. "'Pitch Perfect 3' Chimes In With Summer 2017 Date; Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson Back". deadline.com. June 15, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  42. "Hailee Steinfeld joins Pitch Perfect 3". mtv.com. August 13, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  43. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pitch-perfect-3-adds-anna-939099
  44. "Elizabeth Banks to Direct 'Pitch Perfect 3' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  45. "Elizabeth Banks Pulls Out of 'Pitch Perfect 3' Directing Gig Due to Mom Duties". usmagazine.com. June 6, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
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