Pitch Perfect 3: "Last Call Pitches"

Director: Trish Sie
Writer:     Kay Cannon
                 Mike White 
Starring:  Anna Kendrick 
                 Rebel Wilson
                 Brittany Snow
                 Anna Camp
                 Hailee Steinfeld
                 Ester Dean
                 Hana Mae Lee
                 Chrissie Fit
                 John Lithgow
                 Matt Lanter
                 Guy Burnett
                 Ruby Rose
                 John Michael Higgins
                 Elizabeth Banks
Rating:     ****

Release Date: Out Now 

And so the end is near, and we must draw the final curtain. Pitch Perfect 3 has arrived, and those pitches mean business. In what is rumoured to be the final film of the trilogy, the Barden Bellas have returned with an even whackier, outlandish and hit filled movie; that while better than its predecessor, still doesn’t live up to the perfection that was the first Pitch Perfect.

Beca, Aubrey, Chloe, Emily and of course Fat Amy are joined by the rest of the Bellas, as the reunite one night, only to be filled with the great feeling of disappointment at how their lives have turned out and the overwhelming need to perform together again. Of course, the ever plucky Aubrey has the idea to perform on tour with the USO and with nothing keeping the ladies where they are, and with a song in their heart, the Bellas set off on the adventure of a lifetime. There is no real character development for any of the characters, and whilst that means that nothing new really happens with them, this film feels like more of a goodbye and celebration of the franchise, so this gets forgiven by me.

The Barden Bellas

That being said, the storyline to the final film in the trilogy is absolutely absurd. With John Lithgow playing Fat Amy’s dodgy father, who kidnaps the Bellas, to exploding boats and of course many over the top, yet catchy musical performances; Pitch Perfect 3 has everything, and everything is sometimes too much. The ladies are quite clearly having the time of their lives on this film, and seeing them on their press tour, you can clearly see how close they all truly are. This of course means that the ladies have amazing chemistry, so even an over saturated plot somehow becomes enjoyable, and the laughs never stop coming.

As always, Rebel Wilson DELIVERS when it comes to the funny, with each piece of dialogue or physical comedy she delivers being nailed every time. Rebel Wilson knows comedy, and thankfully that shows in this film. Anna Kendrick is as dry and nonchalant as she has been in each of these films, but as the film draws to a close, and Beca gets what she has always wanted, her barriers begin to fall and the love she has for her friends bursts through her cold exterior and Kendrick manages to show this with no effort at all. The character Beca is the only one to really have any development or arc throughout the film, and while the writers try to shoehorn in love interests and family for the other girls in this film, it is still only Kendrick’s character that has developed, and her development has been entertaining to watch.

There are new characters thrown in to the mix, including Ruby Rose trying her hardest to be funny as a lead singer in an alternative band, Matt Lanter as a hot soldier for Chloe to drool over and Guy Burnett as a bit of eye candy for Beca, but none of the new characters bring anything, and are merely there to decorate the set, to be honest. John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks reprise their commentator roles, and as always, they’re banter is funny and irreverent. 

Rebel Wilson

I would like to throw out a special mention to Jessica and Ashley, played perfectly by Kelley Jakle and Shelley Regner. Both ladies have been in the Bellas since the first film, but have always remained silent and just step clicked in the background. However, in Pitch Perfect 3, they get the chance to show their vocal abilities, they get a bit of dialogue each, and they both become the butt of quite a few jokes as the girls reference how no one really knows them or cares about them. For me, Jessica and Ashley are the unsung heroes of the franchise, and I’m glad they finally got their recognition...kind of.

Pitch Perfect does nothing new for the development of this franchise, and instead serves as the Barden Bellas farewell tour, if you will. The script is absolutely ridiculous at times, but there is genuine heart there, and with some banging songs and brilliant one liners, Pitch Perfect 3 manages to go out on a comedic high, if nothing else.

Pitch Perfect 3 - Trailer