PITCH PERFECT 3 Review

Movie Information

Release Date: December 22, 2017

Director: Trish Sie

Writer: Kay Cannon, Mike White, Mickey Rapkin (book)

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hailee Steinfeld, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Chrissie Fit, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, John Lithgow, Matt Lanter, Guy Burnet, Alexis Knapp, DJ Khaled, Troy Ian Hall, Michael Rose, Jessica Chaffin, Moises Arias, Derek Mehn, Ruby Rose, Andy Allo, Venzella Joy

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 93 minutes

Production Company: Gold Circle Films, Perfect World Pictures, Universal Pictures

Genre: Comedy, Music

Language: English

Country: USA

Budget: $45,000,000 (estimated)

When the original Pitch Perfect hit theaters back in 2012, it was a surprise extravaganza of musical greatness that myself, fans, and critics from all around adored. Director Jason Moore created a near perfect self-aware film that embraced all the clever corniness and flourished as one of the better films of that year. The sequel in 2015 directed by Elizabeth Banks was still entertaining but was a slight step down in quality from what came before. A lesson should be learned now from the studio to know when to stop when you’re ahead, but it appears Universal Studios never got the memo. Compared to the first film Pitch Perfect 3 is an embarrassment of what came before, and this lazy attempt of a film should’ve been giving out free tickets because what they’ve down with this third installment is a shame that should’ve never been greenlit. 

The first film took place in a collegiate setting, while the 2^nd film took the Bardon Bellas to a world staged competition. As far as the story goes, those are both two settings that warrant being developed in the first place. With nowhere to go but down, the studio still tried to move forward with this last film, and use that device to serve the plot. With the singing group now graduated from school, they now realized there aren’t many ways to make a career by making music with their mouths, and they’re all depressed with jobs that aren’t so satisfying. So in a last-ditch effort, a loose opportunity presents itself for them to travel abroad for one last competition in hopes that they’re able to go on tour with the popular know DJ Khaled. First, I know DJ Khaled isn’t a real actor, but still, his dialogue should’ve been cut short. It was fine with him appearing on screen for media appeal, but when he spoke, it was beyond cringe-worthy.

I can’t speak for everyone, but there isn’t anything exciting about seeing grown women begging for attention from someone to listen to them sing. That’s what the entire story centers around. Even if the Bellas would’ve won the competition, it wouldn’t have promised anything for them in the long run, so it’s hard to route for them. Don’t get me wrong, the singing is still great and is the only reason you should see the film if you decide to. Though everything else was shoehorned in, made no logical sense, and was entirely bland. Certain mishaps just happen randomly for no apparent reason at all that can’t be explained. These incidents are just thrown into the plot to try, and stir in some adventure while the girls are traveling to try and boost the viewer’s moral. Instead of your senses being heightened, you’re just shrugging your shoulders, in confusion, asking, “why?” Why is this in the movie? There is no answer. 

Then to make matters worse, you have Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), continuing to make fat jokes about herself, which is tired and has been done over and over in not only this franchise but other films as well. I’m not even fat, but I was offended. I want to see confident characters, not ones with low self-esteem that try to make fun of themselves, so no one else can. In addition to this debacle, the side story with her father Fergus (John Lithgow) takes the cake and flushes it down the toilet. What started off as a decent attempt at character development, actually ended up being a warped sloppy wannabe action scene that should’ve never seen the light of day.

If it weren’t for the singing and performances, this movie wouldn’t be any better than a steaming hot bag of trash. Though studios are desperate to make money on any given opportunity, so they came up with the laziest idea to push a story forward, with plot devices as thin as a strand of floss. It’s beyond me how a franchise could start out as one of the most entertaining films I’ve seen in the last decade, but end up with the last film needing to be recommended for a Razi. This is ridiculous, and I warn those interested in seeing this film to go in cautious because some moments are so over the top, it vomits inducing.

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