Beca Mitchell, a reluctant first-year student at Barden University, enrolls under pressure from her father, who wants her to try college before pursuing a career in music production. Between making mash-ups and interning at the campus radio station, she gets drawn into the Barden Bellas, the university's all-female a cappella group, which is trying to rebuild its reputation after a humiliating performance. Rehearsals, auditions and a rivalry with the all-male Treblemakers expose clashing views on tradition and reinvention within the group, and Beca must face her own shyness and her wish to belong.

How it was made

Directed by Jason Moore from a screenplay by Kay Cannon, the film is loosely based on Mickey Rapkin's nonfiction book about collegiate a cappella and on Moore's own time at Northwestern University. Principal photography wrapped in mid-December 2011 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The ensemble cast includes Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp and Brittany Snow, and the musical numbers rely on live vocal performances and arrangements that mix songs from different eras. Elizabeth Banks, Paul Brooks and Max Handelman produced, Relativity Media and Gold Circle Films were the production companies, Christophe Beck composed the score, Julio Macat shot the film and Lisa Zeno Churgin edited it.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered at the Cinerama Dome on September 24, 2012, and opened in United States theaters on October 5, 2012. It earned about $115.4 million worldwide against a budget of roughly $17 million, making it a sleeper hit and the third highest-grossing film of its year in the domestic and international market combined, according to the sources consulted. Critics gave it generally positive reviews, praising its comedy and its musical performances, particularly Rebel Wilson's. It was followed by two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017).

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

Literary origin

The film is loosely inspired by Mickey Rapkin's nonfiction book about collegiate a cappella. The director's own university years also served as a reference.

Successful soundtrack

The soundtrack album was released digitally in September 2012 and had sold roughly 913,000 copies in the United States by July 2013.

More films by Jason Moore

Sisters2015

Shotgun Wedding2022

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.