Pitch Perfect

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

7 women wearing sunglasses and posing. The words Pitch Perfect painted in yellow above them.

Theatrical poster
Directed by Jason Moore
Produced by
Screenplay by Kay Cannon
Based on Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory 
by Mickey Rapkin
Starring
Music by
Cinematography Julio Macat
Edited by Lisa Zeno Churgin
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • September 24, 2012 (2012-09-24) (Cinerama Dome)
  • September 28, 2012 (2012-09-28) (United States)
Running time
 112 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $17 million[2]
Box office $115.4 million[2]

Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore.[3] It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Ester Dean, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. The plot follows Barden University's all-girl a cappella group, The Barden Bellas, as they compete against another a cappella 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]

The film premiered in Los Angeles on September 24, 2012.[5] Released on September 28, 2012 in the United States, the film received positive reviews from critics. It became a sleeper hit[6] and earned over $115 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing music comedy film of all time behind School of Rock.[7] The first film in the film series, Pitch Perfect was followed by a sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, which was released on May 15, 2015 and was more financially successful than its predecessor, earning over $286 million worldwide and beating the record set by School of Rock as the highest grossing music comedy of all time. Another sequel, Pitch Perfect 3 was confirmed on June 10, 2015 and is set to be released on August 4, 2017.

Plot

At a 2011 national a cappella competition, Barden University's all-female a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, perform well until Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp) vomits on stage during her solo. They are publicly humiliated, losing the competition. Four months later, newly arrived Barden freshman Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) has no desire to attend college, but she is forced to do so by her father (John Benjamin Hickey), a 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 (Skylar Astin).

When Beca's father discovers she has not been attending classes, he comes to her with a proposition: if she joins a club and still does not want to remain at college after one year, he will allow her to leave college, and he will pay for Beca to move to Los Angeles to pursue her music career. After some persuasion from Chloe Beale (Brittany Snow) the co-leader of the Bellas along with Aubrey, she reluctantly joins the Barden Bellas. Aubrey does not initially approve of recruiting Beca, but yields nonetheless due to a desperate need for members and Beca's talent. Beca joins alongside a group of other women who do not fit the Bellas' typical mold: Cynthia-Rose (Ester Dean), Stacie Conrad (Alexis Knapp), Lilly Onakuramara (Hana Mae Lee), and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson). Jesse is also revealed to have joined the Bellas' all-male rival group, the Treblemakers, but his roommate Benji was rejected after being called "weird" by Bumper.

The Bellas participate in the southeastern regional competition at Carolina University 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 old set list, the group manages to place second, which sends them to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, disaster strikes for Beca when the Treblemakers cause an uproar with the Bellas after the competition, leading to her accidentally smashing a window with the trophy, which alerts a police officer standing outside who then arrests her. Jesse later bails Beca out, but makes matters worse by getting her father involved in the situation, who is furious and tells Beca that he will no longer pay for her to move to Los Angeles because of the incident. This infuriates Beca, which turns her budding friendship with Jesse sour. In the meantime, Beca suggests to the Bellas to try to be more daring, but Aubrey insists that they will win with the repertoire the group has always used in the past.

At the semi-finals, Beca provides an impromptu back-up of one of her favorite songs into the "traditional" song on the Bellas' set list to reinvigorate the crowd after they seemed to have lost interest. The Bellas come in third in the competition behind the Treblemakers and the Footnotes. Even though the audience seemed to enjoy Beca's remix, Aubrey becomes furious with Beca, who in turn quits. But things get better for the Bellas when the Footnotes are later disqualified from the national competition because the lead singer was actually still in high school, calling the Bellas to take part instead. The Bellas re-form after spring break, with the notable exception of Beca. During rehearsals, Chloe stands up against Aubrey's stubbornness. The group starts to fall apart, which sparks a fight. Meanwhile, Beca tries to apologize to Jesse, which he declines. Beca then apologizes to the Bellas for her actions during the semi-finals and asks to have another chance, which Aubrey eventually allows. After having a group heart-to-heart conversation, the Bellas decide to adopt Beca's more modern and original music style. Meanwhile, group leader Bumper (Adam DeVine) leaves the Treblemakers after being offered a job as a back-up singer for John Mayer. With Bumper gone, Jesse persuades the Trebles to let his previously rejected roommate Benji (Ben Platt) join the group in Bumper's place.

At the a cappella national competition, the Bellas sing a 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 from Beca, and after the performance, she and Jesse kiss. The Bellas win the national competition, and six months later, auditions for new members take place.

Cast

The Barden Bellas
The Treblemakers
Additional Characters

Production

The film is based on Mickey Rapkin's 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 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".[8] The film was shot throughout campus and inside buildings at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[9] Elizabeth Banks is a co-producer and a co-star in the film.[9]

Casting

The casting department included Justin Coulter, Rich Delia, Allison Estrin, and Michael Roth.[10] Producer Elizabeth Banks appears throughout the film alongside John Michael Higgins as commentators for the competitions.[11]

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!"[12] 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."[12]

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."[12]

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."[12] 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.[12] 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."[12]

Release

The film was released on September 28, 2012 in the United States.

Home media

Pitch Perfect was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on December 18, 2012.[13]

Reception

Box office

Pitch Perfect grossed $65 million in the 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.[14] In its wide opening weekend, the film opened at number three, behind Taken 2 and Hotel Transylvania, grossing $14.8 million.[15] 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.[16] The film is the third highest-grossing music comedy film, behind its sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, and School of Rock.[2]

Critical response

Rebel Wilson was praised by critics for her performance.

Pitch Perfect received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 81%, based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. 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."[17] Metacritic give a score of 66 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[19]

NPR's David Edelstein selected it as one of the top films of the year[20] and Entertainment Weekly chose the soundtrack as one of the year's best.[21] Chris Tookey of the Daily Mail praised Rebel Wilson in particular for her performance.[22] Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars out of 4, and praised Rebel Wilson for her "ebullient, unstoppable and raucous" performance.[23]

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 Scene Stealer Ben Platt Nominated
Choice Scene Stealer Hana Mae Lee Nominated
Choice Breakout Performance Adam DeVine Nominated
Best Villain Adam DeVine Won
American Music Awards Favorite Soundtrack Pitch Perfect Won

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

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 alongside Banks and Max Handelman. 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, new Barden Bellas, while Katey Sagal would join as Emily's mother, and German YouTube star Flula Borg would appear in an unknown role.[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]

References

  1. ↑ "PITCH PERFECT". British Board of Film Classification. September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "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. ↑ "List of Top Grossing Music Comedy Films, 1984-Present". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ "PITCH PERFECT – Production Notes". Cinema Review. 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "'Pitch Perfect' finds ideal shooting locations on campus". Lsureveille.com. November 3, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Pitch Percect (2012); full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  11. ↑ Stransky, Tanner (November 28, 2011). "Elizabeth Banks talks 'Hunger Games' and new film 'Pitch Perfect'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Production Notes" (PDF). Universal Studios. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Pitch Perfect (2012) DVD and Blu-ray". VideoETA. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  14. ↑ "Pitch Perfect (2012) – Daily Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for October 5–7, 2012". Box Office Mojo.
  16. ↑ "Weekend Report: 'Taken 2' Kills, 'Frankenweenie' Fails". Box Office Mojo. October 7, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Pitch Perfect". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Pitch Perfect". Metacritic. Retrieved Jan 3, 2014.
  19. ↑ Andrew Stewart (October 7, 2012). "'Taken 2′ nabs $50 mil to double predecessor's debut take". Variety.
  20. ↑ Edelstein, David (December 21, 2012). "David Edelstein's Top 12 Movies of 2012". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  21. ↑ Valby, Karen (December 6, 2012). "'Les Miserables' and the best movie soundtracks of 2012". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  22. ↑ Chris Tookey (December 21, 2012). "Pitch Perfect review: Rebel Wilson is a star of the future as Fat Amy hits the right note". Daily Mail.
  23. ↑ Pitch Perfect Movie Review & Film Summary (2012) Roger Ebert
  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. 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". 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  38. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 10, 2015). "'Pitch Perfect 3' Moving Forward at Universal With Writer Kay Cannon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 3, 2015.

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