MovieChat Forums > Pitch Perfect (2012) Discussion > A Very Racism Film...

A Very Racism Film...

posted 12 years ago by film_professor
79 replies | jump to latest

...towards blacks and Asian alike.

1. As if the producers couldn't find a few hot black girls who could sing(you know there's tons out there) but instead use a he/she person.
2. The he/she person had limited dialogue and reduced to background wallpaper basically.
3. The Asian roommate hating white people. Which is anything but since most Asians get along just fine with whites, especially in college.
4. The quiet Asian girl. Just another way to silent the few minorities in the film, making them look anti-social and culturally out of place amongst the whites.
5. Of course there was no way they'd be able to beat that black group so for the sake of making whites the film's hero, what do the writers do ...turn the talented black high school student into a lying cheating villain.
6. Totally butch a black cultural classic like "No Diggity".
7. No black male leads or secondaries.

The usual white Hollywood racism going one I suppose. Just my two cents.

[–] liscarkat-2 12 years ago

The only racism in the movie was when the Asian room mate came in with her Asian friends and said "the white chick's back."

[–] Ithilfaen 12 years ago

Boohoo, the movie was racism! You knwo what's actually racism? it's the fact that people need or expect a sample of every race/color/whatever to feel good about something. The movie was not disrespectful of culture, or stereotyping, or condescending or patronizing to characters of color. Just because they didn't have a black male character (and I notice you didn't really care that there was a male character of color in the Trebble Maker since he wasn't black so who's racism now?) doesn't mean they are racism.

Also, your posts and its numerous offensive references to the lesbian character is way more homomphobia than the movie is racism, imo.

Oh wait... I said "racism" instead of "racist" all along, I must be dyslexia! Or just not paying that much attention when whining. Sorry. My bad.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

[–] noordj 12 years ago

Cry cry cry cry..

The lead singer of the boys is pretty unwhite so shut up crybby with your racism crap

[–] goleafsgo27 12 years ago

A "racism" film. I'm personally offended by people not knowing the difference between nouns and adjectives. But even worse was the film's total failure to include a blind American Indian with dwarfism nor a single Shia Muslim with a disability requiring the use of a wheelchair. At least, in any of the more prominent roles.
OK, quick reality check:
It.
Was.
A.
Comedy.

I have seen enough to know I have seen too much. -- ALOTO

[–] richopp 12 years ago

Thank you, goleafsgo27. And for the poster who said this was the dumbest comment on the film, you missed the one where the poster HATED the film because Anna's TEETH WERE TOO WHITE.

The fun never stops, right??

[–] aimesuk 12 years ago

Nope.

That's why I said I found her teeth distracting, not that her acting was bad. My only other comment was that she says 'are you serious?!' a lot!

I think I'm allowed an opinion, same as you are?

*yes I have just cut and pasted that from where I responded on your OTHER post about my post.

I didn't especially like this film, but I didn't hate it. I certainly didn't love it enough to get into a hairy froth with any perceived negative comment anyone makes about either Anna Kendrick or the film.

[–] amblur5 12 years ago

There was definitely some weird racist stuff in this movie, despite it being otherwise progressive. I don't know why people get so defensive over cultural critique. This movie does not 'belong' to anyone in this thread so no need to get huffy if other people see flaws in its depictions. All film is public and INVITES criticism/commentary; art is simply part of a larger cultural conversation and all people should be able to actively engage.

The OP's comment on the "he/she" is totally messed up and transphobic. But otherwise some of their criticism is founded and insightful.

It was mostly the Asian stereotype stuff that was off-putting, like a cue from Sixteen Candles or something. Very other-ing and dated. Especially how the Asian female singer ended up in the puddle of puke. Disturbing.

[–] richopp 12 years ago

OK, I think you all took my comment as a put-down where it was supposed to be humorous. I would have to read the book, which I did not do, to know why the characters were portrayed, in some ways, as racial stereotypes in some scenes. Maybe the writer thought that it was funny since everyone is so PC these days.

As for the board, yes, it is for opinions, and from now on I will characterize mine as "joke coming" or something that gives everyone the right perspective on a given comment if that will help.

Finally, I think it is a good teen film and since it made tons of $$ made on a small budget, we will see a sequel. Hollywood is simply an extension of the stock market and has little to do with art. (That was meant to be a serious comment, not a joke.)

[–] usherman 11 years ago

What about Jews? The only racist remarks I heard in the movie were anti-Semitic. "Deaf Jew" was one.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] audioacity 11 years ago

Holy *beep* I had to sign in and comment after looking at your post history. You should be embarrassed, you self-proclaimed *beep* race warrior. The fact that a movie is racist if it doesn't have a black lead is the most backwards, reversely-racist thing I've heard in a long time. Just sit back, put your *beep* notepad down, and enjoy the movie. The film community doesn't need you to give your opinion on the racist qualities of every movie you see; and no one could possibly care less about your whining garbage, you oversensitive child.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] TeraBlight 11 years ago

[...] why not?

"Some reason" likely translates to the climate of political correctness to which you are presumably exposed much of the time.

The question "why not" is, at any rate, typical of a particular, PC-inspired, understanding of racism (and other -isms and -phobias and so on). A different (and in my opinion more sensible, but that's neither here nor there) understanding of the concept and term produces the question "why should it matter" and looks askance at anyone who claims that paying particular attention to the presence or absence of particular ethnicities is, somehow, a, or even only proper, non-racist thing to do.

Just supplying a possible explanation for, as well as an alternative to, your viewpoint... :)

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] TeraBlight 11 years ago

Well, I've been assuming that "Barden University" was a fictional creation (and there is no 'pedia entry for it, which makes that assumption more than likely true), which makes that question impossible or at least much less straightforward to answer. Overall, my impression was more that of a small liberal arts college than a major university, for what that's worth...