Monday, March 6, 2023

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect 3

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Fun moments, singing, character wrap ups
Cons: Fat Amy’s sub-plot, commentators
The Bottom Line:
Reunion and tour
One last time with characters
Still average film



“We Never Do Anything with Dignity.”

Since I wasn’t a huge fan of the first two movies in the Pitch Perfect franchise, why did I come back for Pitch Perfect 3?  I found some things I enjoyed in the first two movies, and a chance to catch the movie on TV made it too tempting to pass up.  I’m glad I satisfied my curiosity.

It was three years between Pitch Perfect 2 and Pitch Perfect 3, and it’s also been three years for the characters.  Beca (Anna Kendrick) is finding that her dream job of producing music isn’t going nearly as well as she hoped it would.  When she reunites with the rest of the Bellas, she finds their lives aren’t going well either.  So when they get a chance to do one final tour together overseas for the USO, they jump at the chance.  Even better, there is a competition to it, but they are up against bands that use instruments.  Can they come out on top?

If you’ve seen the first two movies, you pretty much know what to expect here.  The group will embarrass themselves.  Everyone will count them out.  And they will forever be the underdog.  Fortunately, they manage to do this without being so completely embarrassing or resorting to bathroom humor here.  That was a plus for the movie.

On the minus side, there is the sub-plot for Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy.  She is by far my least favorite character in the franchise (which is ironic since she and Beca are the only ones I even remember when the film is over).  Fortunately, they have toned down her character here, but her sub-plot was pretty ridiculous.  I rolled my eyes at that more than anything else.

A close second are music competition commentators (seriously, that’s a thing?) played by Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins.  They are the same one note, one joke characters they’ve always been.  Fortunately, they don’t get that much screen time because they were very annoying when they were on screen.

One last complaint.  I missed Skylar Astin and his character.

What did I enjoy?  Once again, the music is wonderful.  I could listen to these ladies sing for hours.  If they released a movie of just them singing, I’d watch it over and over again.

There are some fun moments and laughs along the way.  It’s not as clever or funny as it thinks it is, but there are definitely moments I enjoyed.

And the characters got a good send off.  Even though these aren’t my favorite movies, I still appreciated how character arcs were wrapped up.

Keep in mind my complaints are with the script, not the acting.  This cast is wonderful at bringing their characters to life and making us believe that what we are watching could happen.

No, this franchise doesn’t go out on a high note, but Pitch Perfect 3 does a decent job of wrapping these characters up and sending them into the next chapter of their lives.  If you are a fan of the franchise, you’ll appreciate it.  If you aren’t, nothing here will change your mind, but if you made it through the first two, you’ll be glad you watched this one, too.

2 comments:

  1. I definitely watched #1, can't remember if I've seen #2, and have not seen #3. Sometimes I think movies don't need sequels. I agree that the music is really fun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've seen bits and pieces of all the movies, but haven't watched any of them all the way through. Good music, but not my thing.

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