Pitch Perfect parents guide

Pitch Perfect Parent Guide

While "Pitch Perfect" is poised to be singing all the way to the box office bank, it is claiming bankruptcy on its morality account.

Overall C-

The traditional style of The Bellas, Barden University's all girl singing group, gets shaken up when Beca (Anna Kendrick) joins them. The gals use their new moves and material to take on their male rivals.

Release date October 5, 2012

Violence B
Sexual Content C
Profanity D+
Substance Use C-

Why is Pitch Perfect rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Pitch Perfect PG-13 for sexual material, language and drug references.

Run Time: 112 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

I went into Pitch Perfect with anything but high expectations of discovering an artistically solid presentation or recommending this movie to the teen audience it’s undoubtedly going to attract. Amazingly by the time the credits rolled I was pleasantly surprised on one count  —but even more disappointed on another.

In case you haven’t heard, a cappella is alive and thriving on many US college campuses and fictional Barden University is no exception. Beca (Anna Kendrick) has just found her new dorm and is trolling the campus to see what extracurricular clubs are available. Strangely at Barden U, vocal singing groups outnumber virtually any other category. Prominent among the harmonious offerings are a male group called The Treblemakers and a girls coalition known as the Barden Bellas. Both are locked in competition at regional and national contests.

Last year’s big sing-off didn’t go so well for the girls after their leader, Aubrey (Anna Camp), succumbed to a nervous condition that causes her to vomit in a way that can only happen with a special effects crew. The unforgettable incident, along with the loss of many of the singers, has her and her best friend Chloe (Brittany Snow) eagerly recruiting new talent. Hearing Beca crooning while showering, Chloe immediately bursts into a cubicle and begs her to join. After overcoming the shock of the naked sales job, Beca and a crew of other misfits, join the Bellas.

Meanwhile the Treblemakers are planning yet another winning year and have added Jesse (Skylar Astin) to their team. This complicates things for Beca because he also works with her at the campus radio station. Their increasing fondness for one another is also provoking Aubrey’s suspicions that Beca may break one of the Bellas’ cardinal rules: No member can have sex with a Treblemaker.

With the females driving the story, talk of casual sex makes the act sound as commonplace as going for a burger. And when characters aren’t talking about sex they are usually cracking sexual jokes. This innuendo and banter fills up much of the screen time. Women’s costumes are revealing too, with the Bella’s showing off much more than their vocal chords. Profanities are just as plentiful with many partial references to the usual sexual expletive along with frequent scatological slang, crude anatomical terms, religious expletives and sexual finger gestures.

Sporting a stylish soundtrack that may earn just as much money as the movie itself, and with a large roster of quirky characters spouting cheeky lines and delivering good performances, teens and 20-somethings will likely be social networking about this title after they leave the theater. However, while Pitch Perfect is poised to be singing all the way to the box office bank, it is claiming bankruptcy on its morality account.

Directed by Jason Moore. Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp. Running time: 112 minutes. Theatrical release October 5, 2012. Updated

Pitch Perfect
Rating & Content Info

Why is Pitch Perfect rated PG-13? Pitch Perfect is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sexual material, language and drug references.

Violence: Characters get into a fight after a contest. A man is kicked in the groin. Two women hit a man on the head. Property damage occurs. A woman is arrested. A man throws a burrito out of a vehicle window and it hits a woman. A character violently vomits on two occasions.

Sexual Content: Sexual innuendo, discussions and jokes are heard throughout the film. All sexual content is within the context of single people living on a college campus. A woman says her doctor told her not to have sex for a period of time but she has ignored this counsel. A woman walks into another woman’s shower and later they are joined by a naked man (no details are seen). A woman refers to her sexual organ as a “hunter”. Various women are seen adjusting their clothing, especially their breasts, while wearing revealing costumes. A woman wears a t-shirt that reveals details of her breasts. During dances women touch themselves sensually. Women speculate that another character is a lesbian.

Language: Frequent use of crude sexual terms and innuendo. Frequent profanities include partial use and variations of a sexual expletive in dialogue and lyrics. Scatological terms, moderate and mild profanities and a Christian religious expletive are also heard.

Drugs/Alcohol: College students are frequently seen drinking, sometimes to the point of drunkenness. Characters talk about having made bad decisions while under the influence of alcohol. Illegal drug use is mentioned.

Other: A character is seen gambling and later admits to having a gambling addiction.

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Pitch Perfect Parents' Guide

How does this movie deal with body image? Which characters are typically portrayed in sensual situations? How do the women use their bodies as part of their musical performance? Do the men use similar methods to maintain the audience’s attention?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Pitch Perfect movie is December 17, 2012. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Pitch Perfect Aca-Amazing 2 Movie Set
Release Date: 22 September 2015
Universal Pictures is releasing a 2-Disc package that includes Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2.

Home Video Notes: Pitch Perfect

Release Date: 18 December 2012

Pitch Perfect releases to home video (Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital Copy) with the following extras:

- Deleted, Extended, and Alternate Scenes

- Line-O-Rama improvisational montage

- Starships, the Pitch Perfect music video

- Backstage at Barden profiles & interviews

- On the Set: Burrito Drive By! behind-the-scenes featurette

- A Look Inside first-look featurette

- Audio Commentary with Director Jason Moore and Producers Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman

- Audio Commentary with Producer Paul Brooks

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