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Similar to the Fast and Furious franchise, Pitch Perfect’s latest sequel solely tries to appeal to old fans rather than collect new ones.
| Director(s) | Trish Sie |
| Writer(s) | Kay Cannon, Mike White |
| Noted Actors | |
| Aubrey | Anna Camp |
| Beca | Anna Kendrick |
| DJ Khaled | DJ Khaled |
| Lilly (Esther) | Hana Mae Lee |
| Fat Amy | Rebel Wilson |
| Flo | Chrissie Fit |
| Chloe | Brittany Snow |
| Calamity | Ruby Rose |
| Fergus | John Lithgow |
Summary
To be frank, the reasons the Bellas comes back together are kind of slapped together. One reason is Aubrey wants her father to see her sing; for Chloe, she misses the competition; then in terms of Beca, with her just quitting her job at a music label, what else does she have to do? Which is the general attitude. It has been three years since everyone performed together and with some having children, starting their own businesses, this family will find it harder and harder to reunite.
So, with Aubrey coming up with the excuse for the ladies to go on a short USO tour, which ends up being a competition to open for DJ Khaled, so begins the swan song for the Bellas. At least until there is a college reunion, wedding, funeral, or some other reason for another sequel.
Other Noteworthy Facts & Moments
- All the relationships, romantic ones, from previous movies? Well, they are over. The boys don’t appear at all, they are just written off with a few lines of dialog early in the movie.
- Esther doesn’t have as many funny moments this time around. In fact, I think she only has three notable moments.
- Only 17 laugh out loud moments.
Highlights
It Takes Note of What Works and Doesn’t
At this point, it seems Pitch Perfect has its formula nearly perfected. The baseline will always be Fat Amy making an arse of herself, Beca being presented with better opportunities than singing with the girls, a bunch of homoerotic jokes and moments, some racial jokes, a competition, a riff off, and ending things on with a grand finale. For those who aren’t fans or new to the franchise, this formula won’t likely won’t sell you on how and why there is a third movie.
However, for those who liked this series since the beginning, pretty much Pitch Perfect seems like a different demographic’s answer to Fast and Furious. Yes, it is the same movie, again and again, with maybe only one or two characters added, maybe the featured supporting character changes but, in the long run, it isn’t really about the story. It is about the covers, the comedic situations, and crafting a story just good enough to encompass all of that. One which luckily, this time around, is barely about any of the women being or falling in love.
On The Fence
The Story Is Good Enough, But Also Predictable
Daddy issues are perhaps the strongest theme here. Aubrey really wants to see and impress her father as Fat Amy is just trying to avoid her father Fergus by any means necessary. Alongside that theme is just that sort of quarter-life crisis of trying to find something stable. Whether it is a career, business, or love. Especially after checking off the expected boxes of graduating from school, moving out your parents’ home, and etc.
But, as serious as those topics can be portrayed, at the end of the day, Pitch Perfect is a comedy. One which pokes fun at the fact there are two characters who were never given a shtick so they don’t expect the audience to know them. Also, while it may make the characters seem worried about the future, the fact of the matter is, everyone is pretty much doing, or going to do, just fine. Flo has a business which she is going to franchise, Chloe gets into vet school, Aubrey consistently finds these very odd jobs she is good at, and Beca, despite her attitude, keeps finding jobs dealing with her major.
The Introduced Characters
When it comes to Calamity and the rest, outside of the obligatory riff-off, they really don’t contribute much to the movie. It’s nice they gave us a female rock outfit and also a country spin to the acapella-pop heavy franchise, but ultimately these folks come and go without being worthy of any real fanfare.
Overall: Mixed (Divisive)
With some films, you just got to accept they aren’t for everyone and that is fine with the creators, the cast, and the fans of the production. At this point, that is where Pitch Perfect is. It isn’t trying to win new fans but simply appease the die-hard ones. Hence why this movie doesn’t really seem to pursue trying to be bigger, have more musical numbers than ever before, overdo it on the jokes, or anything like that. The franchised has reached a comfortable place and while the lack of escalation might seem questionable to some, speaking as someone who likes this franchise, you’ll be left feeling satisfied. Not over the moon, clamoring for another sequel anytime soon, but if one was to come around, you are left being ready for another round.
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