Pitch Perfect
Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Wanetah Walmsley, Ben Platt, Utkarsh Ambudkar, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. The film's plot follows an all-female a cappella group that competes against an all-male group from their own university to win the International Collegiate A Cappella Championship. The film is loosely based on Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory, and Moore's own experiences while attending Northwestern University.
Pitch Perfect premiered at the Cinerama Dome on September 24, 2012 and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on October 5, 2012. It received generally positive reviews from critics and became a sleeper hit, earning $115.4 million worldwide against a $17 million budget. It was followed by two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 and Pitch Perfect 3.
Plot
At the finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, Barden University's all-female a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, lose to their all-male rival group, the Barden Treblemakers, after Bellas singer Aubrey projectile vomits as a result of stage fright.Several months later, Beca Mitchell enrolls at Barden at the insistence of her father, who demands that she try college before attempting to become a music producer. Much to his chagrin, Beca spends her time making mash-ups of songs and interning at the university radio station, where she befriends fellow freshman Jesse Swanson.
The new leaders of the Bellas, Aubrey and Chloe, begin recruiting new members. Beca auditions with a rendition of "Cups " and earns a place in the group alongside seven other newcomers, including Fat Amy. Meanwhile, Treblemakers leader Bumper Allen welcomes Jesse onto the team, but rejects Jesse's roommate Benji.
Aubrey conducts an initiation ritual for the new Bellas, making them swear an oath to never become sexually involved with members of the Treblemakers. After two Bellas break the promise, Aubrey kicks them out. During rehearsal, Aubrey insists on performing the same medley repeatedly, while Beca urges the Bellas to be more creative and daring.
After the Bellas perform poorly during a gig at a fraternity, Chloe admits to the group that she has vocal nodes. At the radio station, Beca gives several of her mixes to the station manager, but he declines to play any of them. However, Jesse listens to Beca's mixes and praises her talent.
The Bellas face off against other a capella groups in a competitive "riff-off". They lose to the Treblemakers, but they soon participate in the ICCA Regionals. Despite the Bellas' bland, rehashed medley, they place second thanks to an exciting solo by Fat Amy. After the competition, Beca and Fat Amy accidentally smash a window, leading to Beca's arrest. Jesse contacts Beca's father to bail her out, which upsets Beca.
During the ICCA semi-finals, Beca inserts an impromptu layering of "Bulletproof" into the group's rendition of "The Sign" to win over the bored audience. Although the improvisation impresses the judges, Aubrey angrily scolds Beca for not adhering to their planned medley. She also accuses Beca of hooking up with Jesse, which Jesse denies. Beca responds by snapping at them both and quitting the Bellas. Meanwhile, Benji discovers that the lead singer of the runner-up group the Footnotes is still in high school, which leads to the Footnotes being disqualified and the Bellas being invited to the finals.
During spring break, Chloe unsuccessfully attempts to bring Beca back to the Bellas. Beca's father encourages her to rejoin the group, stating that they need her as much as she needs them. Beca also tries to apologize to Jesse but he rejects her claiming she pushes away those who care for her. During a Bellas rehearsal, various members stand up to Aubrey, who has been exerting tight control over the group. Beca arrives as the Bellas are fighting, and apologizes for spontaneously changing the set. Aubrey agrees to let Beca rejoin the group, and gives her a leadership role. Meanwhile, Bumper leaves the Treblemakers after being offered a job as a back-up singer for John Mayer. With the Treblemakers short one singer, Jesse invites Benji to join the group.
At the ICCA finals, the Bellas win the championship with a medley arranged by Beca, which includes the songs "Price Tag", "Don't You ", "Just the Way You Are", "Give Me Everything" and "Party in the U.S.A.". Afterwards, Beca and Jesse kiss.
Cast
- Anna Kendrick as Beca Mitchell, an introverted and rebellious mash-up producer who joins the Barden Bellas after persuasion from Chloe.
- Skylar Astin as Jesse Swanson, an outgoing Barden freshman who hopes to become a film score composer.
- Rebel Wilson as Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, a confident, comical singer from Tasmania.
- Adam DeVine as Bumper Allen, the egotistical leader of the Barden Treblemakers.
- Anna Camp as Aubrey Posen, the uptight and traditionalist co-leader of the Bellas.
- Brittany Snow as Chloe Beale, the friendlier and more civil co-leader of the Bellas.
- Alexis Knapp as Stacie Conrad, a singer and dancer with a very very high sex drive.
- Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose Adams, a tough, forthright soul singer and rapper.
- Hana Mae Lee as Lilly Onakuramara, an eccentric, soft-spoken, and talented beatboxer.
- Ben Platt as Benji Applebaum, Jesse's roommate, a skilled illusionist who wishes to become a Treblemaker.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar as Donald, Bumper's right-hand man, a vocalist, beatboxer, and rapper.
- Michael Viruet as Unicycle, a beatboxer.
- John Michael Higgins as John Smith, a commentator for the ICCAs.
- Elizabeth Banks as Gail Abernathy-McKadden, a commentator for the ICCAs.
Production
The film is based on Mickey Rapkin's 2008 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 University of Oregon Divisi, 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". The film was shot throughout campus and inside buildings at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Elizabeth Banks is a co-producer and a co-star in the film. Filming concluded in December 2011, in Rogers, Arkansas.Casting
The casting department included Justin Coulter, Rich Delia, Allison Estrin, and Michael Roth. Producer Elizabeth Banks appears throughout the film alongside John Michael Higgins as commentators for the competitions.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!" 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."
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."
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." 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. 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."