Pitch Perfect 3: Film Review

Pitch Perfect 3: Film Review

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, DJ Khaled, Brittany Snow, John Lithgow
Director: Trish Sie

It's the pitches final call in this latest, aimed squarely at the fans and those who tolerated and enjoyed the Barden Bellas' last two outings.

This time around, with the threads of a story stretched perhaps as far as they could go, the Bellas return for their final tour.

After leaving the singing with the next generation of young things in the previous film, the girls reunite to take part in a US Army tour after deciding being grown up and having jobs is not as much fun as they thought it would be.

But their quest to secure the opening spot for a DJ Khaled set sees them forced to compete with other bands (including one led by Ruby Rose) who have electrical instruments.
And things are further complicated when Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy finds her dad (John Lithgow, complete with atrocious Aussie accent) showing up after years in absentia...

Mixing meta touches and some nods to their previous outings, including a hilarious dissing of Cups, Pitch Perfect 3 isn't exactly tone deaf, but does struggle to hit some of the narrative notes it needs.

Primarily, it's in the narrative flow, which seems to be hit by things randomly happening for no good reason and suddenly without warning.

In places, this causes the film to jar and judder around and quite noticeably so.

But given its 90 minute run time and the reason for the film's existence is to farewell the girls and give everything one last go-around, it generally fulfills that rather than greatly challenging it.

Kendrick's easy-going charm comes through again, though Becca's hardly bothered with story, with much of the third film feeling like a repeat of the arc of her character's first film; and later in the film, Pitch Perfect 3 very much becomes the Rebel Wilson show, with Fat Amy stealing the lion's share of the spotlight and the gags as well.

Mostly, this feels like a 'Now That's What I Call Pitch Perfect' as we bounce from one rendition of a song to another (certainly, Ruby Rose's sneering is kept to a minimum and her once-over lightly character's relatively underwritten), but it has to be said that director Trish Sie, who directed OK Go's infamous 'Here It Goes Again' treadmill video, imbues the musical numbers with a great deal of urgency and vitality.

Ultimately, Pitch Perfect 3 has a finality to it, and while it's a shame that, outside of a flimsy father-comes-home and mish-mash of Britney's Toxic video in terms of spy antics and song, it does little more to challenge its audience outside of its genial preppy outlook.

But at the end of the day, the target market and those who truly enjoy the Bellas and their choreographed shenanigans and songs won't be bothered by the odd bum notes which land throughout.

Pitch Perfect 3 hits New Zealand cinemas on January 1st.