My wife and I felt like watching a comedy for Christmas. We did not see the first two installments of Pitch Perfect, but the trailers for Pitch Perfect 3 looked moderately funny. We figured we would roll the dice and check it out today. As a stand alone film, we did not feel we needed to see the prior films to appreciate this film. Although it was moderately funny. Not a film I would necessarily recommend seeing in the theater.
The a capella music group Bellas have parted ways, finding adjustment to the real world to be less than ideal. When the girls get together at a bar, the idea is hatched to perform for the USO. When they arrive in Spain, they discover that headliner DJ Khaled (DJ Khaled) will be selecting one of the warm up acts to tour with him. The competition is on. And it is stiff. A diverse set of musicians travels with the USO, performing at military installations around Europe. Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is reunited with her father (John Lithgow), Beca (Anna Kendrick) establishes her street cred as a solo act, and the entire Bella crew survive a deadly encounter on a cruise ship in addition to the battle of the bands raging during the tour.
The plot to Pitch Perfect 3 is zany. It is a contrived mess of espionage and music. It is merely a vehicle to deliver some dry one-liners and some humorous situational comedy alongside exceptional music performances. Most of the cast is made up of actual musicians. They are talented. The arrangements, although intended to be random, are a carefully constructed combination of musical styles that kept the film interesting. It managed to tie together the otherwise silly comedy. The plot was silly, contrived and predictable. But the delivery was worthwhile enough to hold my interest.
Pitch Perfect 3 does not take itself too seriously. The combination of music and comedy held together a weak plot. The performances helped sell the film. While the actresses are also real musicians, I am fairly certain there was plenty of sound editing and numerous takes to give us the seamless performances. The acting is at its best when it comes in the form of music. The characters are weak, the narrative choppy, the story uneven. The major subplot was ridiculous. If not for the nice musical arrangements, I would not recommend this film. The music earns it a mild recommendation.
Pitch Perfect 3 is rather short, with a run time of 93 minutes. The film eked out a PG-13 rating, in spite of a barrage of sexual innuendo throughout the dialogue. There was a bit of violence that was more comical than violent. The language and mature content are the primary factors in the rating. Some of it would go over younger viewers heads, but I would give this a tween, teen and older recommendation.
Pitch Perfect 3 is somewhat forgettable as a comedy. I did laugh out loud a few times, so I guess that is redemptive. I actually enjoyed the music more than the comedy. I may even have to go back and watch the first two just to see what they were about. This film worked as a stand alone film, although barely. The musical arrangements made it enjoyable for me. I would give this a mild recommendation. I would not pay to see it at the theater. Streaming for free works. 6.5/10.
