GUEST EDITORIAL: An Examination of the 2012 Movie "Pitch Perfect"
An Examination of the 2012 Movie Pitch Perfect
by Lewis Robinson
There are several iconic scenes in 2012's Pitch Perfect, which is the story of a young lady who yearns to get to a particular place but must endure something first in order to do so. Anna Kendrick plays Beca, the starring role, who is a freshman at Barden University. As a newbie, Beca must negotiate her new society, with its cliques, faults and goodnesses. Though she has no real interest in college life, she loves music and so becomes part of the Bellas, the school's female acapella group.
Striking a Chord With Audiences
Like mango lips and other tropical lip balms, consumers found something in Pitch Perfect that they liked. It became a sleeper hit worldwide, earning $115 million and scores of fans. The film became a franchise, with the third installment released in 2017.
It seems that the themes of friendship, ambition and stick-to-it-ness, set amidst a quirky educational backdrop struck a chord with audiences. Kendrick shines as a young woman who advocates striking her own course in the world, even if it comes with compromises. The beauty of this dynamic story element is that younger viewers see her potential in one way, while older viewers respect her for setting a clear course through life based on her convictions, knowing that life throws an awful lot at a person.
The Cup Song Scene
This is perhaps the most iconic scene in the movie as it combines some quietly nimble kinesthetic activity with Anna Kendrick's screen presence and a truly catchy song with great lyrics. It speaks to her character's dreams, set against the backdrop of mundane work, and so it speaks to the viewers' desires, too.
When the scene begins, Beca (Kendrick) is in the back of a busy diner, working a big ball of dough with an expression that could be described as less than thrilled at her current circumstances. She sticks to her dull work and as she's checking out the postcards on the wall from all over the world, she begins singing her own little song, using her hands and the cups that she's working with to create percussion.
The magic of the scene occurs when Beca goes on her rounds, clearing tables and everybody from the cooks to the patrons all creating percussion sounds and singing her song. It's a very whimsical scene but its essence is basic. It speaks to keeping the right perspective, even while doing something you don't want to do. Because she keeps her nose to the grindstone but allows her mind to radiate with happy ambition, it radiates throughout her world, creating happy arrangements all around her.
What Not to Like?
We don't know if Beca would take out any student loans to finish a Barden education, but it wouldn't surprise some viewers if she ended up there are an instructor down the road, as another installment of the franchise.
This movie radiates positivity, even as its characters take on their challenges, both individually and collectively, as part of the Bellas. Rebel Wilson, Elizabeth Banks and Skylar Austin round out a fabulous cast of supporting actors and actresses who bring life to the story. Without their dynamic interactions, Beca's plight would be much less colorful.
Pitch Perfect is a movie that makes you feel good and works well against a pretty stark landscape of political discord and disharmony that might be described as the current state of the world. It is whimsical and creative and combines playful elements with more grounded themes like growing up and making difficult decisions. Kendrick shines as a young, ambitious woman poised to walk her own road. When she's gone, viewers remember her fondly.
