Movie Analysis

Movie Analysis

'Pitch Perfect' is a movie where an a cappella female singing group called the Barden Bellas thrive while singing typical pop music with their perfect looks. Although after failing the previous year they are desperate for new members but struggle to find a stereotypical perfect member who has the 'perfect' look and the 'perfect' voice.

Beca Mitchell is a character in the movie Pitch Perfect who attends college and wants to pursue a music career. Beca's personality would be described as reserved, reclusive and different. Beca's visual appearance can be related to her personality, as she wears simple and dark clothes. Beca is stereotyped as alternative and a girl who is 'emo'. Beca's character has a negative representation as she's being portrayed as a socially awkward person who is almost a freak and a loner with no friends. The movie makes us think that Beca will have no friends and be weird because of the way she looks and acts. A typical "popular" girl that most movies portray are the girls who will fit in and get the "cute" boy, although Beca is not popular, blonde and "perfect" visually, she still makes friends, joins accapella group and forms a relationship with a boy.


Fat Amy is also a character in the movie Pitch Perfect.

"Fat Amy" "You call yourself Fat Amy?" another character asks, and she replies "yeah, so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back." This dialogue shows Amy is described by not only movie viewers but other characters in the play as "fat". Stereotypical "fat" people would be described as lazy, insecure, ugly and almost stupid. Pitch Perfect has given us a positive representation of Fat Amy, as Amy is a bold, funny and confident character. In movies the typical "fat" college student, has no friends and is often bullied by the "popular girl" but in this case Fat Amy is represented as the opposite with a bright personality who shuts down the "popular girl" and has many friends and is well liked. Viewers are mostly likely to straight away assume that Fat Amy will be insecure about her body because she's not the stereotype of pretty, but this is not the case as Fat Amy embraces her body, which is something that is not portrayed in the media today. Teenage girls believe that if you're fat it's wrong and you can't be happy because you won't be well liked and you're not 'stereotypically pretty.' 

These two representations of two completely different characters are positive as they are not predictable. The media portrays alternative or fat girls as being 'out casts' or 'losers'. In this movie we are shown something similar to reality rather than the typical stereotype. Because of the huge amount of pressure in today's society, being well-liked is a huge goal for many teenage girls. Teen girls believe they can 'achieve their goal' by being stereotypically pretty, like the characters from the Barden Bellas. 

Beca, Fat Amy and Aubrey (leader of the Bellas) are all white females. Although they experience the same race and gender, they do not experience the same stereotype or entitlements in Pitch Perfect. This is because of the way they look and therefore the way they are stereotyped. Because Amy is fat and Beca is alternative we are automatically lead to believe that they are outcasts. Aubrey is a skinny, flawless, popular university student who is the leader of the Bellas singing group, which automatically influences teenage girls to want to be skinny and popular like Aubrey who is of a high status. Due to Beca and Amy's stereotypes, the Bellas are unsure whether to let them join the a capella group. Because of their looks, the Bellas think they have no singing or performing talent, this is relevant and similar to the way the audience stereotypes the two 'out cast' girls.



At the start of the movie the Barden Bellas are costumed to give off a certain look. The girls in the a capella group are dressed in a costume that is tight fitting to show off their slim bodies, every girl has perfect skin, perfect hair and perfect teeth. This gives teenage girls the message that to be popular or pretty you must look like this 'perfect' image that is portrayed by the Bellas. 
The image that is portrayed by the Bellas is completely unattainable and unrealistic. We are exposed to the image that being 'pretty' and 'perfect' like the Bellas is the normal where in reality it's unrealistic and unattainable by teenage girls, so much so that teenage girls become vulnerable and naive. 

In the middle of the movie the Bellas start to make changes. Their major turning point is when Fat Amy and Beca are welcomed in the Bellas a capella group. By the end of the movie the Bellas have made significant changes. Their costumes have changed to more suit the individual, their dance moves aren't as 'perfect', in time and choreographed. This shows more individuality. 

Fat Amy is typically stereotyped as the 'fat, funny girl'. The viewers tend to find humour in the things Fat Amy says. The sad thing is, is that if Amy wasn't fat she wouldn't be 'funny'.
Although stereotypes in movies are usually used for comedy, in real life judging people by their stereotypes can be detrimental to society and offensive.

Just like Pitch Perfect, the movie Mean Girls also effects teenage girls. The clique in the movie called the 'Plastics', sends a harsh message to teenage girls. Just like Bellas in Pitch Perfect, the Plastics portray their beauty and popularity as being the only things that should matter when you're a teenage girl. This can result in teenage girls going to some outrageous extent to become something that is 'stereotypically' beautiful. In short term, teenage girls become anorexic or depressed because the pressure on them to full the 'perfect' shoes of people like the Plastics is too overwhelming. And in the long term, teenage girls are so caught up in becoming pretty, that they forget about what really matters, like careers and changing the world and society around their lives.

The Plastics only portray one message of what teenage girls should be and act like. Therefore this representation of teenage girls cannot truly reflect reality because it has little differentiation, where as in reality teenage girls are all different. Because media portrays images like the Plastics other aspects and talents teenage girls have, aren't acknowledged. 

Near the end of the movie, the Plastics are dispersed and become more individual, they are no longer a 'clique'. This is similar to the Bellas as they changed their a capella group to become more individual. This is portraying a message to teenage girls that actually clique's will not end up being the popular group and often people will push their boundaries and make changes. This can positively effect teenage girls as it makes them realise in the end, that being 'pretty' and 'popular' is not the most important thing in life, and teenage girls can learn from the mistakes and attitudes from the Plastics and the Bellas.