Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Film / PitchPerfect

Go To

1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pitch_perfect.jpg]]
2%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
3
4->''"Even though some of you are pretty thin, you all have fat hearts, and that's what matters."''
5-->-- '''Fat Amy'''
6
7''Pitch Perfect'' is a 2012 musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore. The screenplay was written by Creator/KayCannon, loosely adapted from the nonfiction book of the same name by Mickey Rapkin. The film stars Creator/AnnaKendrick, Creator/RebelWilson, Creator/SkylarAstin, Creator/AnnaCamp, Creator/BrittanySnow, Creator/AdamDevine, and Creator/BenPlatt.
8
9The story follows Beca Mitchell, an aspiring music producer who is forced to go to Barden University by her father, who is a teacher there. He agrees to fund Beca's move to L.A. if she agrees to give college a chance and join at least one club. She ends up joining the Barden Bellas, the school's all female a cappella group. There, she is introduced to the world of collegiate a cappella as the Bellas fight to defeat their all-male rival group, the Treblemakers.
10
11''[[NumberedSequel Pitch Perfect 2]]'' was released in 2015, directed by Creator/ElizabethBanks (who also co-produced both films) and with several of the previous cast members reprising their roles. It follows the Bellas as they compete in the A Cappella world championships, hoping to be the first American team to win (which has never happened because the entire world hates America). Creator/HaileeSteinfeld joins the cast as new member Emily Junk.
12
13''Pitch Perfect 3'' was released in 2017. The Bellas, all dissatisfied with their post-college lives, reunite and join a USO tour as a way of reliving their glory days. Meanwhile, fan favorite Fat Amy reunites with her estranged father, which ultimately leads the group into some [[{{Pun}} deep treble]].
14
15In September 2021, a spinoff ''Series/PitchPerfectBumperInBerlin'' (starring Creator/AdamDevine, reprising his role as Bumper from the films) was announced for Creator/{{Peacock}}. The series follows Bumper as he moves to Germany to restart his music career [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff when one of his songs gets popular there]]. The series premiered on November 23, of the following year.
16
17Now has a [[Characters/PitchPerfect Character Sheet]] under construction.
18----
19!!This film and its sequels provide examples of:
20* ACappella: Naturally. Lots of music without any instrumental accompaniment.
21* AccidentalMisnaming:
22** Luke often calls Beca "Becky".
23** Repeated in the sequel with Beca's boss, who calls her Reggie. He also says Emily is Elizabeth.
24* ActionizedSequel: ''3'' ramps up the action considerably, adding a level of crime and espionage to the basic "music competition" plot of its predecessors.
25* AerithAndBob: Gail Abernathy-[=McKadden=] and ''John Smith''.
26* AlliterativeTitle: '''''P'''itch '''P'''erfect''
27* AllYourPowersCombined:
28** The Bellas' GrandFinale number combines their numerous and varied talents into one showstopper of a set: Beca's musical mixing talents, Cynthia-Rose's rapping, Lily's beatboxing, Chloe's [[spoiler: DisabilitySuperpower]], and Stacey's ballet skills, to name a few.
29** Reprised in their performance at the world championship in the sequel, this time with Emily's original songs thrown into the mix.
30** It's also noteworthy that they change the uniform of the Bella's, which consisted of a classic stewardess-like skirt and suit, to various styles of jeans and jackets, therefore making clothes that will flatter the different body types of the Bellas, since not many of them would fit in Aubrey's old team's style.
31* AloofLeaderAffableSubordinate: Aubrey, the leader of the Bellas, is very uptight and a ControlFreak. This is due to her need to make up for costing the Bellas the championship. Her co-leader Chloe is much kinder and friendly in comparison, acting as the TeamMom. While she mostly defers to Aubrey's leadership, she does eventually [[GrewASpine stand up to her]] and calls her out for being so controlling.
32%%* AlphaBitch:
33%%** The previous leader of the Bellas.
34%%** Kommissar, leader of DSM, in the sequel.
35* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
36** Most people seem to consider the Treblemakers this to the Bellas.
37** In the sequel, the Bellas are the best in their own country, but Das Sound Maschine is the best in Europe.
38* AmbiguouslyBi:
39** Chloe seems this way toward Beca. She also checks out Stacie's leg-up stretches during the TrainingMontage.
40** Beca, in a deleted scene, says that she tried to french her cousin when she was a kid.
41** Quite a bit more of this happens in the sequel. The Bellas are very... bonded.
42** Chloe literally says she wants to bond more with Beca and immediately follows it by saying she wished she'd [[ExperimentedInCollege experimented more in college]].
43** There's also Beca's reaction to Kommissar (Creator/BirgitteHjortSorensen): every time she tries to trash talk she ends up talking about how physically flawless and attractive she is.
44* AnachronismStew: In a flashback to a child Fat Amy with her father (which must have been circa 20 years prior), she's seen wearing ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' pyjamas....except they use the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' design, which wasn't released until 2010.
45* AppealToFamilialWisdom: Aubrey quotes her father a few times, implying he's a strict taskmaster. "Like my dad says, 'If you're not here to win, get the hell out of Kuwait.'"
46* AppropriatedAppellation: Fat Amy calls ''herself'' Fat Amy "so twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back."
47* ArcSymbol:
48** The Bellas' "[[TeamHandStack hands-in]]" symbolizes how united they are as a team by how successfully they perform it at different points in the film.
49** The ''[[Film/TheBreakfastClub Breakfast Club]]'' CD for Beca and Jesse's story arc.
50* ArcWords:
51** "Magic" for Benji.
52** "Endings are the best part!"
53** In the sequel, "Legacy" starts off as Emily's nickname and quickly becomes the theme of the film.
54* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: "Chloe, look at you. You're a mess, you're unfocused, you're unreliable, and your breath smells like egg. Like all the time."
55* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: "[[Franchise/StarWars Vader]]" isn't the German word for "father", it's the ''Dutch'' word for "father"; the German word for "father" is ''"vater"''. The Dutch word ''"vader"'' also isn't pronounced like "Darth Vader"; it's pronounced more like "FAH-der". German, Dutch, and English are all related languages, so their respective words for "father" are all pronounced similarly.
56* ArtisticLicenseMusic: The two [=ICCA=] commentators imply that no all-female group has ever won the National Championship. Actually, the ''very first year they were held'', the [[http://loreleis.com/ UNC-Chapel Hill Loreleis]] won them, and in '07 [[https://pam.byu.edu/group/noteworthy/ BYU Noteworthy]] won. Those are the only two, though.
57* ArtisticLicensePhysics: That burrito sure could handle wind resistance.
58* AscendedFanboy:
59** Benji becomes this InUniverse when he finally joins the Treblemakers.
60** Fat Amy is a bit of an AscendedFangirl, in that she's outgoing but too shy to ask for a solo, as well as the dialogue between her and Beca at aca-initiation night:
61--->'''Beca:''' [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder What am I even doing here?]]\
62'''Amy:''' [[SincerityMode Living the dream!]] I still can't believe they let my sexy fat arse in!
63** Emily in the sequel.
64* AwesomeAussie: Fat Amy. She claims to have fought a crocodile and a dingo at the same time.
65* BewareTheQuietOnes: Lily often says disturbing things. She also displays quite a few unusual or just downright weird skills.
66* BigBeautifulWoman: Fat Amy kind of alternates between this and GonkyFemme throughout the film.
67* BirdsOfAFeather: In the third movie, Lilly gets together with one of the male musicians, who is likewise a bit of an oddball.
68* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Well, kicked out of the band anyway. Kori, one of two black girls that passed the audition, was kicked out before even making it to day two for sleeping with a Treble. The second girl who was kicked out at least got a few lines before she was dumped.
69* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Bellas, with Aubrey, Fat Amy and Jessica being the blondes, Beca, Stacie, Lilly, Ashley and Denise being the brunettes and Chloe being the redhead. Cynthia-Rose is a black woman (who naturally has dark hair) who dyes her hair red.
70* BrainlessBeauty: Stacie has shades of this to go with her ReallyGetsAround nature.
71* BreakTheCutie: Benji [[spoiler: when he doesn't get into the Treblemakers and listens to their party]], Jesse after Beca rejects him and, [[spoiler: surprisingly, Aubrey]] when she talks about [[spoiler: her dad]].
72* BreakTheHaughty:
73** The movie is a long one for Aubrey, after she throws up during the Bella's performance, and when she and Chloe try to recruit new Bellas. The Bellas were so snobbish the previous year that one girl refuses because she was told her breasts were too flat, and they have to recruit a crowd of women who are different races and body types. Eventually, Aubrey has to admit that her way of leadership isn't working.
74** Beca also goes through this, having to shed her snobbery about friendship and college to find her place [[spoiler:and how to work in a team]].
75* BrickJoke: The Barden rape whistle given to Beca in the first scene. Comes back when Cynthia-Rose, the lesbian Bella, is wrestling with Stacie.
76* BrokenAesop: Chloe’s character arc in the second film revolves around her learning to grow up and move on from the Bellas to pursue a new chapter in her life. Beca’s subplot in the same film revolves around her actively trying to do just that, yet the film portrays her as being in the wrong to the point where she has to ''apologise'' for it.
77* CallBack:
78** You may have missed it, but when the Bellas find out they've got into the finals when Chloe walks in, Amy yells "Shalom!", which is, according to her, "not a word."
79** Aubrey's three-point TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Beca after the semi-finals is reminiscent of the speech the Bellas' former leader gave Chloe at the beginning.
80** Bologna Barb is seen at the first Riff-Off with the a cappella group B.U. Harmonics.
81** When Benji fluffs his introduction to Emily in the sequel he asks, "how did I do?" like in the scene with Bumper in the first film; Jesse wraps his arm around Benji and pulls him away in the exact same way--it's identical except Jesse substitutes "could have been worse" for "I've seen you do worse," referencing the first film.
82* TheCameo: Or Cameos, in the case of the sequel. There are unsurprising yet clever ones like Music/{{Pentatonix}} representing Canada at Worlds, to some more obscure ones like players from the Green Bay Packers being a part of the Riff-Off and even the freaking President of the United States (using stock footage)!
83* CasanovaWannabe: Bumper, in between insulting Fat Amy he still hints towards sex.
84* CatFight: After Beca leaves the group, this is what happens.
85* TheCavalry: In the sequel, although it's very obviously arranged ahead of time, Beca puts everything on the line to save the Bellas, including [[spoiler:bringing back all of the former Bellas for one final, last-ditch performance, wherein they join the chorus halfway through the show. It works.]]
86* CelebrityParadox: One of the other a cappella groups heard in the film is the real group Green Envy but Greg, one of the Trebles, was the musical director of this group during his time at college.
87* CheatersNeverProsper: [[spoiler:The group that won second place in the semi-finals is later disqualified for having a high school student on their team, thus allowing the Bellas to make the finals.]]
88* ChekhovsClassroom: The music producer in the sequel telling Beca that everyone can do mash-ups and she needs to do something original. [[spoiler: Guess how they win at Worlds?]]
89* ChekhovsGun:
90** John's comment in the beginning that it's taken so long for all-girl a cappella groups to make it because girls generally have difficulty hitting the bass notes. This stops being a problem for the Bellas after Chloe's surgery.
91** In the third film Beca [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that a portable beehive seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Sure enough, a little while later the hive is knocked over and the bees escape.
92* ChekhovsHobby:
93** Beca's love of remixing songs and Lilly hanging out in a beat-boxing crowd become useful in the finals.
94** Emily's songwriting in the sequel.
95* ChekhovsSkill:
96** Stacie's ballet moves get useful in the finals.
97** Working with Music/JohnMayer means that Bumper should have no problem with the Riff-Off category "I Dated John Mayer" in the sequel. [[spoiler: However, averted. Maybe he knew ''too'' much?]]
98** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] when Beca gets caught in a net. It looks like the Bellas are going to have to use the team-building skills they just learned to get her down, but Lily, who was apparently sleeping upside-down in that tree, simply cuts her down.
99* CliqueTour: Played with. The usual Clique Tour speech only highlights the four different a cappella groups on campus: the Bellas, TheRival Treblemakers, TheStoner High Notes, and the Harmonics (they sing a lot of Music/{{Madonna}}). The rest of the campus social life is {{handwave}}d away as unimportant by Benji, who describes the Treblemakers as the coolest group, "[[OverlyNarrowSuperlative short of athletes, frat boys, or actual cool people]]."
100* CloudCuckooLander: All of Lilly's lines are bizarre and nearly {{Non Sequitur}}s.
101* ClubStub:
102** Of the Bellas at the beginning of the film, only Aubrey and Chloe are not graduating, and both are entering their senior year. They're desperate to recruit new members and keep the group going, which is why Aubrey is forced to allow the Bellas to become more diverse in personalities and body types.
103** In the sequel, all of the Bellas are once again seniors, and after Fat Amy's high-profile wardrobe malfunction, the school forbids them from holding auditions in an attempt to force the group to disband at the end of the year. Freshman Emily, allowed in via LoopholeAbuse, is solely responsible for keeping the Bellas alive, and as shown in the third film, she succeeds.
104* CollegeRadio: Beca and Jesse work there.
105* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Bellas have navy and white outfits, with their signature yellow scarves. Anything with their logo on it tends to use a kind of azure shade instead. The Treblemakers wear deep burgundy to contrast. Das Sound Maschine from the sequel prefers black [[HellBentForLeather leather]] and mesh.
106* CombatSadomasochist: One of the Tone Hangers is this.
107* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Cynthia is openly gay the whole movie, at least never trying to hide it, but Amy treats it like a big secret, and takes Cynthia's confession [[spoiler:that her gambling addiction was her way of dealing with a break-up]] like her coming out moment.
108* ControlFreak:
109** Aubrey fits this to a T. The film largely [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]] this, showing how her ControlFreak tendencies are a hindrance to the group's success, as her insistence on doing the same tired old numbers at every show causes the competition judges to turn against the Bellas. When she finally backs off at the end, the Bellas are a lot better for it.
110** Reconstructed in the sequel, where she's turned her skills of controlling people and breaking their wills into a successful career as manager of a corporate retreat.
111* CoughSnarkCough: Fat Amy does this a few times.
112* TheCoverChangesTheGender:
113** Actually [[AvertedTrope averted]]. "No Diggity" isn't changed, and "Hey Mickey" doesn't go far enough. Also averted with pretty much every song performed, even "Don't Stop the Music."
114** Furthermore, "Pool Mashup" features two love songs about women sung by women. They didn't change the pronouns ''at all''.
115* CuteClumsyGirl: Invoked with Emily in the sequel.
116-->'''Beca:''' Yeah, don't touch anything, [[InSeriesNickname Legacy]]. You're very pretty but you seem clumsy.
117* DadTheVeteran: Aubrey's father is implied to be active-duty military, both domineering and never around. In the third film we find out he's a general in the Army.
118* DatingCatwoman: Aubrey considers dating or sleeping with a Treblemaker this, and is firmly against it, kicking out two members at the beginning of the season for doing so.[[note]]A deleted scene actually shows her admitting her long-buried lust for one.[[/note]] The rule is eventually abandoned along with her other overly controlling tendencies.
119* DeadpanSnarker: Beca is this right when we meet her.
120-->'''Aubrey:''' I can see your toner through your jeans.\
121'''Beca:''' That's my dick.
122* DemotedToExtra:
123** While she never was a central character in the first film but still held quite a few scenes, Stacie does noticeably only have a handful of lines in the sequel. The same goes for Jesse and Aubrey, the latter of whom doesn't even appear until roughly the last third of the film.
124** In the third film, Stacie only appears at the beginning, and is left off the tour because she's eight months pregnant and unable to travel. Aubrey's role is expanded, in contrast, as she uses her military connections to get them on the tour in the first place, and her backstory with her dad is explored.
125* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Chloe telling the group about her nodes.
126-->'''Chloe:''' I am living with nodes. But I am a survivor. I just have to pull back. Because I am limited. Because I have nodes.
127* DisabilitySuperpower: A minor example. Chloe's vocal node surgery eliminates the top end of her range, but drastically expands the bottom end.
128* DisqualificationInducedVictory: The girls are able to progress to Nationals because the soloist of one of the qualifying groups is too young.
129* DistractedByTheSexy:
130** Beca admits that Chloe's naked body makes it hard for her to concentrate.
131** Beca's utter inability to do anything but appraise the "physically perfect" "fine specimen" that is (female) Kommissar in the sequel when trying to trash-talk her and DSM.
132** Stacie is a constant distraction for Cynthia-Rose.
133* DoubleEntendre: If you look at the parallel scene in ''Theatre/LadyWindermeresFan'' to Chloe/Beca's interaction at Hood Night where Lord Darlington tells Lady Windermere (at the start of the play) he thinks they'll be "great friends" and then skip to where she tells him (upon seeing her husband and the woman everyone believes he is having an affair with talking) "I want a friend tonight, Lord Darlington: I didn't know I would want one so soon." you can see what the admission at the start meant, [[spoiler:i.e. LOVER]]. Can't we, Chloe?
134* DrillSergeantNasty:
135** Implied to be the case with Aubrey's father.
136** Aubrey herself becomes one in the sequel when the Bellas go camping on a retreat to which she definitely puts them through the wringer.
137* DudeWheresMyRespect: The MC during the first USO show in the third film describes the Bellas as "an acapella group with a few Youtube clicks". But this group has at least three consecutive national championships and a world championship under their belts.
138* DuetBonding:
139** Chloe sort of forces Beca into this by singing in the shower.
140** Happens with "Just the Way You Are/Just a Dream," too, for both Beca and Chloe with Aubrey.
141* EmbarrassingRelativeTeacher: Beca's dad is a doctor-professor at the school. She denies the relation and wants nothing to do with him, for the most part.
142* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The entire first act showcases Beca's talent at creating mashups and remixes, [[spoiler: which winds up becoming ChekhovsHobby when Aubrey finally recognizes her talents and lets her write the Bellas' arrangement for the finals.]]
143* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Beca just can't stop talking about Kommissar's physical perfection and how sexually confused she makes her, even when trying to trash-talk her. ''Especially'' when trying to trash-talk her.
144* FanDisservice: The Tone Hangers provide a creepy contrast to the young, sexy a cappella groups.
145** InUniverse we have Fat Amy tearing her leotard and flashing the entire audience, which includes the Obamas.
146* FieryRedhead: Mostly averted: Chloe is very sweet but has no problem attacking people when in a rage.
147* TheFilmOfTheBook: The book is a non-fiction look at the world of collegiate a cappella. The film dramatizes it.
148* FlatCharacter: Beca's roommate Kimmy Jin. The only sign of any CharacterDevelopment she shows is when she softens towards Beca enough to wish her a happy spring break.
149* FlippingTheBird: In each movie, Fat Amy flips off someone during a riff-off.
150** In the first movie, she [[https://youtu.be/hGdz2rMbTIM?si=RcUowALTpb8npKCY&t=260 flips off the Treblemakers.]]
151** In the second movie, she [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk9tnC-_y70&t=267 flips off Pieter.]]
152** In the third movie, she [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN3PvsP59sQ&t=57 flips off]] the guy who asks, "Is that feedback?" during her long, high held note.
153* {{Foreshadowing}}:
154** The first hint that Aubrey will loosen up is when she gives sincere loud applause to Benji's audition. For all her control freak tendencies, she can appreciate good singing.
155** Most of Benji's scenes involve some kind of magic trick. Cue "I Got the Magic."
156** The previous year's leader of the Bellas makes the unusual note that Chloe's breath smells like eggs all the time. Fitting for a bad enough infection in one's throat.
157** Averted with Beca's dismissal of how predictable movies' endings are, which seems to be this but ultimately comes to nothing.
158** Luke airs Beca's "Bulletproof" mix on the campus radio; later that night at regionals [[spoiler:guess what song she chooses to break the Bellas' routine]].
159** This series loves doing this musically. A lot of the solo song choices share or show something about the characters' inner motivations or romantic subplots. The sequel's opening number combines ''We Got The World'' and ''Timber'', acting as a speedrun from their status at the end of the first film. By the end of the set, their superstar status of performing for the US President has [[{{Understatement}} tumbled]].
160* FreezeFrameBonus: The other possible song categories for the Riff-off, including "Ugly Lead Singers," "Black Music/MichaelJackson," "White Michael Jackson," and "[[TakeThat Songs Ruined by]] ''Series/{{Glee}}''."
161** In the third installment, it's revealed that Lilly's place of birth is ''Area51''. Hmm...
162* FrenchMaid: Well, maids in bikinis anyway. When Bumper announces that he's leaving, the Trebles are watching a movie in which a couple of girls in revealing clothing rather unenthusiastically dust a house while they lounge in the hot tub.
163* FreudianExcuse:
164** Implied with Beca.
165** Aubrey's father is hinted to be the reason she's such a ControlFreak.
166* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Not quite in the background, but right before the Bellas' initial performance, Chloe (after getting chewed out) surreptitiously checks her breath.
167* GangOfHats: Non-criminal version. Each ''a cappella'' group has something that make it unique.
168** The Bellas are all female.
169** The Treblemakers are all male.
170** The Harmonics specialize in Madonna songs.
171** The High Notes are all stoners.
172** Sockapella sings using sock puppets.
173** In the international competition, each group is dressed in some kind of traditional garb, except for DSM, who are all in black and netting. The Bellas even bring back their bandanas.
174* GhostExtras:
175** Seven women on the poster, but there are ten Bellas. Lampshaded when Aubrey tells two Bellas (Jessica and Ashley) that it's like they haven't been there all year, and they get offended. (Jessica, Denise, and Ashley are the ones not included on the poster.) In the sequel, Denise has disappeared to be replaced by Flo (a Guatemalan, [[LatinLand maybe]]), and even ''[[TheHero Beca]]'' remarks to Jessica and Ashley that she doesn't actually know which one of them is which. They both reply that they're Jessica, but by the campfire scene everybody seems to have worked it out and Beca proceeds to ask actual Jessica (Kelley Jakle, the blonde of the two) what her plans are... only for her to be cut off, the two girls then shrugging in understanding.
176** The same goes for every unnamed member of the other a capella groups.
177* GoodParents: Beca's dad.
178* GirlOnGirlIsHot: The guy Chloe is with in the shower is gleefully grinning at Beca, heavily suggesting either this or a desire for a threesome. Either way, both girls are not having it.
179* GracefulLoser: After crying in his dorm room about the Treblemakers not accepting him, Benji remains their supporter and even volunteers at Regionals, even running after Beca when she quits the Bellas and walks off upset. This allows him to qualify the Bellas by reporting that the Footnotes have a high school student as their lead.
180** In a FreezeFrameBonus during the Riff-Off, after a singer from another group tries to join in and gets her team disqualified, she appears to take it in stride.
181* GrandRomanticGesture:
182** Beca and the Barden Bellas singing [[spoiler: [[CallBack "Don't You (Forget About Me)"]]]] as part of the Bella's Finals performance.
183** In the sequel, Fat Amy attempts this by canoeing towards Bumper and the Treblemakers while singing "We Belong" to Bumper. It's obviously PlayedForLaughs (a car interrupts her as soon as she's on dry land), but it seems to work, as Bumper sings a verse back to her, and then the song is cut off by Amy and Bumper furiously making out in front of everyone.
184* HappyEnding: And they're {{lampshaded}} enough, too.
185* HappyEndingOverride: The second film ends on a bittersweet note with the main Bella lineup ready to grow up and move onto new lives after graduation. By the time the third film takes place, they’re all miserable with their post-graduation lives, both Beca and Amy have ended their respective relationships offscreen, and they all decide to reunite again.
186* HateSink: Fat Amy's corrupt father Fergus from the third film is the only antagonist in the series with no redeeming qualities, or anything to make up for his scummyness. He is a crime boss who Amy separated herself from before she joined the Bellas, and he tracks her down claiming to want to reconnect with her. It's soon discovered he's after a trust fund of hers worth millions, and aggressive with her when she finally cuts him out of her life. Fergus then goes on to kidnap the Bellas and threatens to have them killed unless Amy turns over her money. The fact he's an otherwise serious character, connected to a comic relief character like Amy, makes for a rather jarring contrast.
187** Bumper is one in the first film, acting arrogant and insulting towards other groups and then abandoning the Trebelmakers on the eve of the finals.
188* HeterosexualLifePartners:
189** Chloe and Aubrey are implied to be this to an extent, as they are the only seniors in the group and Chloe mentions being good friends with Aubrey for years. Things get tense near the end, but they work things out.
190** Beca and Fat Amy (they room together in both sequels), Jesse and Benji.
191* HollywoodAtlas: In real life, Copenhagen is the Scandinavian city where you can most easily find a steakhouse. In ''Pitch Perfect 2'', it's impossible to find restaurants there that serve anything besides fish.
192* HollywoodToneDeaf: Downplayed; in the auditions for the first film, the Bellas and Treblemakers cringe when Stacie sings but she's actually not bad, just overacting and exaggerating so that her intonation is slightly off. When she joins the Bellas proper, her singing sounds normal.
193* HotGuyUglyWife: Bumper and Fat Amy, in a rare gender-inversion, though it's the normal trope when concerning personalities.
194* HowWeGotHere: The third movie starts by showing a scene from the climax.
195* HufflepuffHouse: The stoner and Madonna a cappella groups.
196* HypocriticalHumor:
197** When Bumper dismisses Benji out of hand.
198--->'''Bumper:''' What a nerd alert! Okay guys, let's match pitch.
199** When Benji is introducing himself to Jesse.
200--->'''Benji:''' Just so you know, I'm not a total nerd: I'm also super into close-up magic!
201* ICallHimMisterHappy: Alluded to. At one point, Stacie points to her crotch and says, "He's a hunter," much to Beca's bemusement.
202-->'''Beca:''' You call it a dude?
203* InsecureProtagonistArrogantAntagonist: The sequel introduces a rival acapella group called Das Sound Machine. They're the current world champions and are quite proud of this, having no trouble insulting Beca to her face. Beca on the other hand is flustered during these exchanges. When she tries to think of a comeback, she only manages to compliment the group's lead singer.
204* InsigniaRipOffRitual: When Mary Elise is kicked off the Bellas for being [[UnusualEuphemism Treble-boned]], she is forced to turn in her scarf and leave the room, taking her chair with her.
205* ImprobableAimingSkills: Bumper nails Fat Amy in the chest with a burrito from a pretty good distance from a ''moving bus.'' Say what you will about [[{{Jerkass}} Bumper]], but that's pretty damned impressive.
206* ItsAllAboutMe:
207** Aubrey spends the whole movie trying to make up for her terrible sin of throwing up at finals the previous year, to the point where she even insults ''Chloe'', the Bella who's stuck with her through and through to the end, of sounding terrible when Chloe is in danger of losing her voice.
208** Ironically, she may have a point when she accuses Beca of sabotaging her on purpose at Regionals. She says that Beca can't go off-script and make it the "Beca" show, even though Beca says she only did it because the crowd was getting bored. None of the other Bellas back Beca up because, as Fat Amy gently puts it, Beca's improvisation was cool but also threw the other girls off their rhythm.
209* IwoJimaPose: In the sequel, Das Sound Machine -- ''the German team'' -- pull this at the end of their finals performance.
210* JerkassHasAPoint:
211** Bumper is nasty to Benji, but is right that Benji's first impression was a bit creepy. Benji means well, but you have to have some etiquette when meeting your heroes. Likewise, at the auditions, Bumper nastily tells Aubrey and Chloe that they aren't going to get far doing the same old Bella shtick and they need something new. He's completely right.
212** Beca herself tells off Aubrey for humiliating the girls busted for sleeping with Treblemakers, and tells Aubrey that it's none of her business and inappropriate to assume that Beca has the hots for Jesse. Aubrey in turn tells off Beca for undermining her authority. They're both right.
213** Beca's going off-script during one of the competitions makes sense, given that the routine is dull and Aubrey needs to be taken down a peg. However, Aubrey is right in pointing out that she (Beca) had not only sabotaged her (Aubrey) even if by accident, but the rest of the Barden Bellas as well (many of whom take a cappella seriously, and have not wronged Beca in the slightest).
214** Beca's boss in the sequel tells her that the ability to make song mashups on a laptop isn't unique. He's about as blunt as possible, but he's not wrong.
215** The MC of the riff-off that the Bellas enter in the sequel is rather brutal when kicking them out, but he is correct that Emily singing an original song violated the theme they were given ('90s Hip-Hop Jams). Contrast this with a similar riff-off in the first movie, where they were disqualified because of a semantic technicality.
216* KarmaHoudini:
217** Bumper. He hits Fat Amy with a burrito, abandons the Treblemakers, and is pretty awful towards everyone, and he goes to LA to sing back-up for Music/JohnMayer. (Although it could be a sort of TakeThat, considering some opinions of [[{{Jerkass}} Mayer]] and his music.)
218** In the sequel [[spoiler: it turns out he ended up Music/JohnMayer's assistant, and now works as Barden campus security.]] Then he auditions for ''Series/TheVoice'' and all the coaches turn around.
219* KavorkaMan: Gender-inverted with Fat Amy, who is not ugly, but is obese. After the Bellas fail to make the finals, she is seen chatting with several hot guys in a pool. Her amazingly outgoing personality is probably responsible.
220* LameComeback: Beca absolutely cannot trash-talk Das Sound Machine in the sequel, despite several attempts.
221-->'''Beca:''' Your sweat smells like cinnamon. Damn it!
222* TheLancer: Played with. Chloe is officially the NumberTwo of the Bellas, while Beca, despite being TheHero, is the one who challenges Aubrey's leadership.
223* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: A lot in the third film, with jokes about the Bellas expecting there to be a "competition" and a riff-off, both of which happened in the two previous films.
224* LegFocus: Stacie frequently shows her nice pair by constantly wearing short-shorts. The TrainingMontage shows that Aubrey has a nice pair as well. Ehe movie poster displays them front-and-center.
225* LettingHerHairDown: This happens in the last performance. Towards the ending, Aubrey actually lets her hair down.
226* LogoJoke: The standard Creator/{{Universal}} fanfare is replaced with an a cappella version at the start of each film. These are not the only Universal films to do this. Coincidentally, [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld one of the other ones]] to do this also has Anna Kendrick in it.
227* LongSongShortScene: Rare live action film version. Das Sound Machine's cover of "Jump" in the film is only about ten seconds long and covered over by dialogue. On the soundtrack, it's about a minute long and unobscured by any of the characters.
228* LoopholeAbuse: After the incident at the Kennedy Center, one of the punishments levied against the Bellas is that they're not allowed to hold auditions. There was nothing said against people actively joining them of their own volition, which Emily does.
229* LoveMakesYouDumb: In the ''Pitch Perfect 2'' riff-off, Benji uses his own lyrics for the song "Baby Got Back" in an attempt to impress Emily, causing the Treblemakers to lose the match.
230* LoveTriangle: Jesse seems to think he is in competition for Beca with the radio station manager despite the two having a fairly professional relationship.
231* LovableNerd: Benji made his half of the dorm room into a ''Franchise/StarWars'' shrine, loves magic, and is a fawning Treblemakers fan.
232* MaleGaze: During the opening, the camera heavily focuses on the Bellas' butts and legs during their performance. The previous leader is also seen stacking her boobs before said performance. There's also a lot of focus on [[MsFanservice Stacie]] and [[SupportingLeader Aubrey]]'s legs.
233* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent:
234** Lilly is seen hanging out with a hip-hop crowd near the end of the first film.
235** During the final performance in the second film, the "Generations of Bellas" can be seen taking the stage in the background a few shots before the big reveal.
236* MilitaryBrat: Aubrey's father is a general. This is implied to be the reason why she's such a ControlFreak towards the Bellas.
237* MiseryBuildsCharacter: Aubrey leans toward this concept. Instead it ends up tearing the Bellas apart and causing her to StressVomit again during an intense rehearsal.
238* MissingMom: No mention is made of where Beca's mother is, though it's revealed in conversation with her father that her parents are divorced.
239* MrFanservice: Luke the DJ at one point lifts his shirt up to reveal a ''glorious'' set of abs. Beca seems [[FemaleGaze delighted]].
240-->'''Jesse:''' Maybe lay off the cheeseburgers. You're not gonna be twenty-two your whole life.\
241'''Luke:''' ''[displays abs]'' I think I'm good.\
242'''Beca:''' Yeah, you're good. He's good.
243* MsFanservice:
244** Stacie is put to a lot of MaleGaze (and FemaleGaze from Cynthia-Rose).
245** Beca is involved in several blatant cleavage shots.
246** Beca and Chloe fit this to a T in the shower scene, where both spend almost the entire scene naked and have a mini-conversation about masturbation.
247* MusicalWorldHypothesis: Diegetic--every song is an in-universe performance, either rehearsed or improvised. The only aspect that strains credulity is how well the groups participating in the OnceAnEpisode riff-offs harmonize and follow along so naturally with unrehearsed music (a couple of times, even they look confused by what they're doing as they launch into song).
248* NauseaFuel:
249** InUniverse example--when Aubrey's sick for the first time there is a cut to two of the older Bellas holding their mouths like they're about to throw up at seeing someone else do so.
250** InUniverse again in the sequel with Fat Amy's lack-of-a-PantyShot. It's John's screensaver, and Gail is not pleased.
251* {{Nepotism}}: Other than Emily being a Legacy Bella allowing them to [[LoopholeAbuse bypass the recruitment restrictions on them following the Kennedy Center debacle]], Dax, from Beca's job at Residual Heat Records, is very obviously only tolerated by the boss because he's his nephew.
252* NewParentNomenclatureProblem: While we never see Beca and her stepmother interact, Beca is obviously resentful since she calls her "the step-monster."
253* NiceGuy: Jesse, Benji, and Beca's Dad. Chloe is a GenderFlip version of this.
254* NoAntagonist: the first film has achieved this state by its third act. At the beginning you have ControlFreak Aubrey, and to a lesser extent GloryHound Bumper, but by the time we hit Nationals, one's changed her tune and the other has been unceremoniously written out of the film. As a result, [=ICCA=] Nationals is a friendly competition between {{Worthy Opponent}}s.
255* NumberTwo: Chloe to the Bellas, Donald to the Trebles.
256* OddFriendship: Aubrey is uptight and a ControlFreak who insists on putting the Bellas through a strict training regimen. Chloe is warm and friendly, acting as the TeamMom. Despite their differing personalities, the two are quite close friends.
257* OneSteveLimit: Apparently averted with Jessica and Ashley--they both go by Jessica, which has been adding to the confusion between the two of them for the ''four years'' they're Bellas.
258* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname:
259** Fat Amy. [[spoiler:Turns out her real name's Patricia.]]
260--->'''Aubrey:''' What's your name?\
261'''Fat Amy:''' Fat Amy.\
262'''Aubrey:''' You call yourself Fat Amy?\
263'''Fat Amy:''' Yeah, so [[RefugeInAudacity twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back]].
264** [[spoiler: [[FridgeBrilliance Of course she changed her name. Who would want to be called Fat Pat/Fatty Patty?]]]]
265** Interestingly, when she's being referred to in the news in the sequel, only "fat" is in quotations, so her name might be [[spoiler:Patricia Amy]].
266** One of the Trebles is listed as Unicycle in the credits. Although he only has two lines in the final cut and is only named in deleted scenes, he carries a unicycle with him everywhere but the ICCA performances, so it's pretty obvious who it is (not to mention the 'fro).
267** Bumper Allen's first name is never mentioned, unless [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude that is his real name]].
268* OnlySaneWoman: Beca is this for most of the first movie and a good portion of the second. She loves singing a capella, but she wants more than just a fun college experience and is constantly looking ahead to her dreams and goals. She is also often snarkily commenting on some of the crazier aspects of a performer's world. Contrast every other a capella group, including the other Bellas. Personalities range from quirkily eccentric to murderously weird.
269* OpposingSportsTeam: The Treblemakers are an a cappella version. In the sequel this is Das Sound Maschine, and in the third film, Evermoist.
270* OutclassedAtTheGym: The acapella group's TrainingMontage includes cardio, which Fat Amy immediately tries to get out of. During the scene where the girls are running around the practice room, Aubrey notices that Fat Amy is hiding in the seats. The latter claims she's doing 'horizontal running'.
271* OutOfGenreExperience: The third movie starts off as the usual musical comedy and turns into an action movie for the climax, though a scene from the climax is also shown [[HowWeGotHere at the beginning]].
272* OverlyLongGag:
273** Fat Amy's holding out pitch and then dancing.
274** Fat Amy feeling sorry for Chloe's affliction of being a ginger.
275* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: The Treblemakers are described as being the coolest people, "short of athletes, frat boys, or actual cool people."
276** John and Gail's show is self-described as "the world's premiere downloadable a cappella podcast."
277* ParentWithNewParamour: Beca's parents are revealed to be divorced. Her father has remarried. Beca calls her new mother her "step monster".
278* PetTheDog: While still in ControlFreak mode, Aubrey gives loud applause to Benji's audition despite that he's singing to join the Treblemakers. Chloe also joins in, as does the rest of the room except Bumper.
279* PoliticalOvercorrectness / DidNotThinkThisThrough: Aubrey's retreat doesn't have any ladders because they hint at a corporate hierarchy that goes against its team building spirit; it ''does'' have several dangerous booby traps that the absence of ladders makes very difficult to escape safely.
280* AProtagonistShallLeadThem: [[spoiler: [[SupportingLeader Aubrey]] practically steps down as TheLeader of the Bellas before the finals and gives way for [[TheHero Beca]] to lead them. After she graduates, Beca officially becomes the Bellas' leader.]]
281* PunBasedTitle: "Pitch Perfect" means "just right". It is also a pun on musical pitch.
282* PunnyName: Most of the a cappella groups who aren't the Bellas: The Treblemakers (trouble makers), the High Notes ([[TheStoner they like marijuana]]), Sockapella (they sing with sock puppets), and the Minstrel Cycles (Gail's all female group) are just a few.
283* PutOnABus: Bumper, just before Nationals, in the first movie. He gets a gig singing for Music/JohnMayer and is never heard from again (until the sequel).
284* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: After the Bellas learn that the team that qualified for Finals ahead of them was disqualified for cheating, we get a montage of the various singers getting contacted, and brief glimpses into whatever they are up to (including Fat Amy having a pool party with several hunks).
285* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The Bellas.
286* ReallyGetsAround:
287** Stacie, {{played for laughs}}.
288--->'''Stacie:''' I have a lot of sex.\
289'''Fat Amy:''' Yeah, we know, Stacie.\
290'''Stacie:''' ...Only 'cause I just told you.
291** While not as blatant as Stacie, Chloe has no problems hooking up with two different guys. She's also [[AmbiguouslyBi very fond]] of Beca.
292** Fat Amy demonstrates this trope in ''Pitch Perfect 2'', mentioning that she has met three of Music/TheWiggles "intimately". John also offhandedly implies that Gail is this.
293** Stacie changes not at all after graduating; she appears in ''Pitch Perfect 3'' only long enough to reveal that she's eight months pregnant and can't join the Bellas on tour. She has no idea who the father is and doesn't much care.
294* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Becca's dad. He makes her go to college because she gets tuition remission due to him teaching there, but compromises on learning that she's blowing off all her classes: she joins one club, and if she still hates college then he'll help her move to Los Angeles. [[spoiler:He only rescinds that after she gets arrested, because he assesses correctly that she's out of control]].
295* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Aubrey gives the girls one after an embarrassing performance in front of a fraternity. She gets one herself later.
296* RejectionRitual: The day after the new Bellas get brought into the group, two are kicked out for having had sex with a Treblemaker the previous evening. One isn't shown, but the other is forced to drag her chair off to the side on her way out. Later Beca is almost forced out and starts to drag her chair away (slowly, with many glances back, for effect), before being called back into the group.
297-->'''Aubrey:''' Beca!\
298'''Beca:''' Thank you. That would have been embarrassing.
299* {{Retcon}}: Though it initially ''seems'' that ''Pitch Perfect 2'' goes against this film's ending with Chloe still in the group, this is actually a {{Subversion}}: later she states that she's been intentionally failing classes because she was afraid to leave.
300* RightForTheWrongReasons: Beca's claim that the Reveal in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' that Darth Vader is Luke's father is telegraphed because "vader means father in German." Darth Vader was named (and ''Film/ANewHope'' released) before his relationship with Luke was conceived, and ''vader'' is Dutch for "father" rather than German anyway.
301* RunningGag: Several.
302** Aubrey's projectile vomiting.
303** Stacie... being [[ReallyGetsAround Stacie]].
304** Cynthia-Rose's crush on Stacie.
305** Lily's bizarre whisperings.
306** Fat Amy constantly insulting Emily for seemingly imaginary flaws.
307** Several of the girls at several different points in the movie are seen fluffing their breasts. Sometimes it seems to be for empowerment, sometimes to [[DistractedByTheSexy win over the crowd]], but it is always appreciated.
308** Beca's complete inability to [[InsultBackfire insult Kommissar]] in the sequel.
309** Almost every word out of Flo's mouth in both sequels is an over-the-top comment about how horrible conditions were in her home country.
310** Jessica and Ashley getting little to no acknowledgement from the other Bellas.
311* SchoolOfNoStudying:
312** Apparently the only reason to go to college is to make friends and have activities. This is the lesson Beca's father, a Barden University teacher, tries to instill in her.
313** When the Bellas get in the finals Aubrey insists that they skip all classes so they can spend all their time rehearsing.
314** In the third film, the post-college former Bellas all quit or take leave from their jobs so they can go on a reunion tour together. Emily, the only member from the second film still in school (she's leading the current Bellas in her senior year), somehow has time to go to Europe with them, despite periodically stressing about final exams and the GRE.
315* SecretMessageWink: In ''Pitch Perfect 2'', Bumper asks Fat Amy if she wants to have sex later. She yells "No!", then shoots him a wink. Confused, he asks whether that meant yes or no. She replies, "Absolutely not," then winks again.
316* SeniorYearStruggles: Part of Aubrey's motivation in the first film is that it's her last year at Barden University and she wants to lead the Bellas to one last victory to make up for how she ruined their chances at winning by throwing up on stage. The sequel deals with how the rest of the Bellas will graduate and are nervous about moving on. Chloe mentions [[DeliberateUnderPerformance deliberately failing classes]] so she can stay at Barden.
317* SequelEscalation: How does the sequel top the embarrassment generated by the projectile vomiting in the first movie? By [[spoiler:a wardrobe malfunction that flashes Fat Amy's vagina at the ''President of the United States!'']]
318* SequelGoesForeign: In the first film, despite the name, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella takes place in the United States with mostly American groups. In ''Pitch Perfect 2'', to redeem themselves the Bellas enter the World Championships, traveling to Copenhagen in the finale to compete. In the third film, the graduated Bellas reunite and join a USO tour of American bases across Europe, spending only the first act in the United States.
319* SerenadeYourLover:
320** Beca pulls off the Group version of this, by working [[spoiler:"Don't You (Forget About Me)"]] into the Bellas' Finals performance.
321** Earlier, Jesse does this to her during the Riff-Off with "Feels Like the First Time" in that he somewhat sings it towards her. She cuts him off with "No Diggity."
322** Also, some would argue that Beca and Chloe/Aubrey singing "Just the Way You Are" and "Just a Dream" is this, and maybe a CallBack to the Jesse/Beca moment.
323** Some interpretations of Chloe belting "Torn" after her conversation with Beca in the tent in the sequel.
324* SeriousBusiness:
325** A cappella. Very much so. Aubrey in particular takes the whole thing ''way'' too seriously.
326** Beca's reasoning for not telling the girls, especially Chloe, about her internship in the sequel.
327* ShipTease: The sequel has a scene in a tent where all the Bellas are cramped together; Chloe and Beca are face-to-face as Chloe flat-out admits to Beca in a very teasing and indicating tone that she never got to experiment in college (after asking her if she wanted a backrub and brushing her hair back from her forehead). According to [[https://www.salon.com/2015/05/15/pitch_perfect_writer_on_her_a_cappella_underdogs_beating_mad_max_at_the_box_office_if_that_happens_joy_will_win_the_weekend/ the writer]], this was a nod to the shippers.
328* ShirtlessScene:
329** Luke, the college station DJ, has a lovely moment of this. [[EatingTheEyeCandy Beca is appreciative.]]
330** Unicycle, one of The Treblemakers, has one in a wide shot after their final performance.
331** Unicycle actually does this a few times throughout the movie. He apparently thinks of himself as MrFanservice.
332* ShoutOut:
333** Barden College has a [[Franchise/HarryPotter Quidditch club]]. The booth is seen behind Beca at the activities fair.
334** Possibly to ''Film/{{High School Musical}}''. The audition scene is reminiscent of the play auditions from HSM.
335** The introduction for the Trebles at the Regional competition is ripped directly out of ''Film/{{Bandslam}}''.
336** The "Party in the USA" scene is very reminiscent of the "Tiny Dancer" scene in ''Film/AlmostFamous'', and every other film where they 'forcibly' drag someone into an activity they secretly love and end up bonding over...
337** "Don't You (Forget About Me)" seems to have remarkable relationship-affirming powers, the ending basically being that of ''Film/EasyA'', where we have [[Film/JohnTuckerMustDie the Other Tucker]] wooing, weirdly, [[Film/TheHelp Skeeter Phelan]] with it.
338** There seems to be an a cappella group at the Finals whose entire theme is ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment''--note the song choice ("The Final Countdown") and their khaki/Hawaiian shirt outfits. And they're a group that exists in ''real life''. They're even portrayed by the actual group.
339** At the end of the Riff-Off in the first film Beca gives a Wrestling/DGenerationX "suck it!" crotch chop.
340** The {{Take That}}s at ''Series/{{Glee}}'' seemed to become milder in the sequel, but the plot line involving needing to write original songs is a particularly egregious one.
341** One of the people that send the Bellas threats in the second movie is apparently [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCourts Justice]] Sotomayor.
342* ShutUpHannibal: Chloe delivers an awesome one to Aubrey.
343* ShrinkingViolet: Lily.
344* ShouldersUpNudity: Done to imply nudity in the women's shower.
345* ShowerScene: The infamous DuetBonding.
346* ShowerOfLove: When Beca goes to take a shower in the girl's locker room, two pairs of feet, belonging to a man and a woman, can be seen in a shower stall. The girl in question is Chloe, and this is the only way we know that she's not solely into Beca.
347* ShownTheirWork: Against all odds, vocal fold nodules are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_fold_nodule actually presented realistically,]] as they can eventually destroy a person's ability to sing. [[MinorInjuryOverreaction Even Chloe's reaction.]]
348** MinorInjuryOverreaction indeed. After being told she wouldn't be able to sing above G#--maybe, ever--she sings a high A and goes five semitones up to D with no problems during the final number. Although it being the final number, feats of strength are somewhat necessary.
349* SlapSlapKiss:
350** Between Bumper and Fat Amy. We certainly see the "slap slap" part of the equation on screen, but the kiss is alluded to when Amy reveals she has Bumper's cell number but can't provide a reason for having it. In the sequel, they've been hooking up on the sly for quite a while and Bumper asks her to take their relationship public.
351** The "Songs about Sex" portion of the Riff-Off has this vibe going between the Bellas and Treblemakers.
352* SmugSnake: Bumper, in spades.
353* SomethingElseAlsoRises: It's subtle, but during the "Songs About Sex" part of the Riff-Off, Unicycle puts his unicycle between his legs (and he's certainly not riding it).
354* SpamAttack: As a non-violent example, this is one of DSM's strengths. With the number of members they have, they can put more power into their performances. Lampshaded by Cynthia-Rose [[spoiler:and used by the Bellas at the end by calling in a number of their previous members.]]
355* SpoilingShoutOut: Becca complains that movies are so predictable that she could guess that [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] was Luke's father. Jesse is disbelieving, but also admits that [[LukeIAmYourFather it's]] a well-known cinematic reveal, so there's that.
356* StressVomit: Aubrey throws up over the entire audience during a group performance. Later on she does it again as part of a particular hilarious argument.
357* StuffyOldSongsAboutTheButtocks: One of the categories in the riff-off in ''Pitch Perfect 2''.
358* StupidSexyFlanders: Beca for Kommissar, the female leader of Das Sound Machine in ''Pitch Perfect 2''.
359* TakeThat:
360** At ''Series/{{Glee}}'', of all things, despite Anna Camp (Aubrey) and Skylar Astin (Jesse) both doing guest spots on that show.
361*** The very first one is delivered by Christopher Mintz-Plasse during the first audition scene.
362---->'''Tommy:''' But if you think this is just some high school club where you can sing and dance your way through any social issue or confused sexuality, you have come to the wrong place. There is none of that here. That's high school. This shit is real life. NOW. Don't just bring it, sing it, and let's do this.
363*** During the Riff-Off, one of the categories on the wheel is "Songs Ruined by ''Glee''."
364*** And of course, the "discovering in the shower" scene, taken waaaay over the top by Chloe.
365*** Receives one from ''Glee'' (well, they asked for it) during the episode "The Untitled Rachel Berry Project". When Rachel tells Hollywood screenwriter Mary Halloran about being part of a Glee Club, Mary automatically assumes she's talking about an a cappella-based Glee Club and brushes off the idea, which she deems lame.
366** To Creator/JohnMayer: Bumper ends up his personal assistant instead of co-performer, and one of the categories in the sequel's Riff-Off is "I Dated John Mayer."
367* TheTeam: The Bellas;
368** TheLeader: [[SupportingLeader Aubrey]]
369** TheLancer: [[NumberTwo Chloe]]
370** {{The Hero}}ine: Beca
371** TheBigGirl: Fat Amy
372** TheSmartGirl: Cynthia-Rose
373** GirlyGirl: Stacie
374** TheQuietOne: Lilly.
375** {{Mauve Shirt}}s: Ashley, Jessica and Denise.
376* TeamHandStack: With a group pitch-match instead of a cheer. Last year's Bellas did this effortlessly. This year's Bellas often don't know how to break the right way. "On three or after three?" They do finally get it right, [[RuleOfThree as part of their showstopper finale]].
377* TechnicianVersusPerformer: This is a conflict between Aubrey and Beca. Beca simply wants to be spontaneous and have fun by remixing songs while Aubrey is trying to be successful using their original set list from the previous year and being conservative. To be fair to each Beca is actually into producing music and therefore is naturally gifted at remixing while Aubrey was originally more of a performer but after throwing up on stage is trying to play it conservative.
378* TerribleIntervieweesMontage: Subverted with the audition scene. While a few people choke, like the girl who cries while singing, and Aubrey covers her ears when Fat Amy hits the high notes, everyone performs well, and their voices harmonize well into the montage. By the end, most of the people shown are inducted into the Bellas or Treblemakers.
379* ThoseTwoGuys:
380** Ashley and Jessica. They even have an [[Series/TheWestWing Ed and Larry]] moment in the sequel, when Beca admits she doesn't know which of them is which, and they both shout, "I'm Jessica!"
381** The commentators, John and Gail.
382* TokenEvilTeammate: Most of the Treblemakers are stand-up guys, but Bumper is a complete dick, going as far as to [[spoiler:abandon them before the finals]].
383* TooMuchInformation: Beca has this reaction when Chloe talks about masturbating to "Titanium":
384-->'''Chloe:''' That song is my jam. My ''lady-jam''.\
385'''Beca:''' That's nice.\
386'''Chloe:''' It is. That song really builds.\
387''[Beca smiles thinly]''\
388'''Beca:''' ''[whispers]'' Gross.
389* {{Touche}}: During the finale, Gail tells John (through a tooth-clenched smile, no less) that he doubted the Bellas' chances mainly because he is a misogynist. John readily agrees without skipping a beat.
390* TrainingMontage: The Bellas, set to Music/NickiMinaj's "Starships."
391* TransparentCloset: Cynthia Rose, according to Fat Amy and Aubrey. Subverted: when the Bellas are revealing their secrets, Cynthia admits that she has a gambling addiction that arose after she broke up with her girlfriend (who is apparently Denise, one of the other Bellas). She was never keeping her lesbianism a secret, there was simply no reason to bring it up.
392* TrashTalk: Regularly engaged in by the various rival a cappella groups. More so with the Bellas and DSM in the sequel, as ''all'' of their interactions are mainly about this trope. [[StupidSexyFlanders Except when it gets to Beca and the Kommissar.]]
393* TrueBlueFemininity: The Bellas' primary color. Their uniform is colored navy blue, while TheLeader's pitch pipe is colored baby blue.
394* TwoferTokenMinority: Cynthia Rose is black and a lesbian. In the sequel, when Flo is taking flak, she says, "that's right, blame the minority." Cynthia-Rose comes back with, "Really? I'm black, gay, and a woman."
395* TwoFirstNames: Beca Mitchell, Stacie Conrad, and Cynthia-Rose. Also as weird as it sounds, Bumper Allen.
396* {{Typecasting}}: Averted, as one may assume Creator/BrittanySnow [[Film/Hairspray2007 may have been better suited playing Aubrey]].
397* UnfortunateNames:
398** Lampshaded.
399--->'''Gail:''' I remember singing it with my own a cappella group.\
400'''John:''' What group was that, Gail?\
401'''Gail:''' The Minstrel Cycles, John.\
402'''John:''' Well, that's an unfortunate name.
403** In the sequel, Emily's last name is Junk. She mentions that her father's surname is Hardon, so she uses her mother's as the less unfortunate option.
404* TheUnreveal: Parodied. During the 'confessions' scene, Cynthia Rose is expected to come out as a lesbian, only to admit to having a gambling problem... which she developed after she broke up with her girlfriend.
405* VerbalTic: Aubrey has a habit of adding "aca" in front of words, such as "aca-awesome," "aca-people," "aca-bitches," etc. The others pick up the habit as well.
406* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: though the first film does not advertise itself as such, it's essentially a dramatization of the journey of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deke_Sharon Deke Sharon]], an alumni of the Tufts Beelzebubs who is today credited as the father of modern ''a cappella''. Like Beca, he joined a group with a lot of set traditions and some outdated repertoire (which was ''every'' group back then); like Beca, he injected new life into the group by paying attention to Top 40 and delivering the sort of music that their college audiences wanted to hear; like Beca, he added one more twist--vocal percussion his case, the power of mash-ups in hers. Of course, there was no [=ICCAs=] in Deke's time (he co-founded them in TheNineties); and, where the Bellas were playing catch-up with their competitors, he was breaking new ground.
407* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The third film introduces Amy’s father Fergus, a manipulative, self-centred crime boss who tries to exploit and later murder the Bellas to get Amy’s money. Despite the film’s otherwise comedic tone and the fact that he’s the father of the franchise’s main comic relief, Fergus and the threat he poses is [[KnightOfCerebus played completely straight]] and, in stark contrast to the franchise’s other antagonists, is given [[HateSink no likeable or redeeming qualities whatsoever]].
408* VillainSong: Das Sound Machine's mashup of "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" and "All I Do Is Win" in the World Championship
409* VillainousFaceHold: In the sequel, Kommissar cups Beca's face as she taunts her at the last performance, making Beca experience another StupidSexyFlanders moment.
410* VocalDissonance: After Chloe gets her nodes removed, she (a former soprano) is able to hit the really low, guttural bass notes, much to everyone's surprise.
411* VomitIndiscretionShot: Aubrey does this twice, plus the video of the first time. No FreezeFrameBonus--the short clip of the video shows everything.
412* WellDoneSonGuy:
413** For Aubrey, her father. Her need to please carries over to the previous leader of the Bellas, who is nothing but abusive toward her.
414** Beca's dad, to a lesser extent.
415* WhenImGoneSong: "When I'm Gone," aka "Cups," which became a huge hit for Creator/AnnaKendrick. The singer of the song is urging the listener to come along.
416* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: Seriously, ''Bumper''?
417* WorldOfBuxom: A lot of the Bellas appear to fill out at least a C cup at the smallest and tend to show off their assets.

Top