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★★★
Directed by Trish Sie
Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hailee Steinfeld, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Kelley Jackle, and Shelley Regner
Film Review by Niall Maggs
Pitch Perfect 3 is your typical musical for teenages, not a particularly good film, but a most definitely enjoyable one filled with silly but humorous jokes, and witty dialogue.
The plot of Pitch Perfect 3 is so ridiculous and boring, but the comedy factor manages to make up for it, supplying the audience with constant laughs, particularly from Fat Amy played hilariously by Rebel Wilson, who can be irritating at some points, which is where the film suffers, however most scenes involving her are usually the best moments.
The lead character Beca, played wonderfully by the excellent Anna Kendrick, is also a high point in the film. Kendrick manages to carry the rest of the cast, mostly filled with mediocre performances, and stands out above them all due to the sassy, smart but adorably innocent character she plays. She's someone the audience can root for, and is easily likeable. However, a lot of the supporting characters aren't quite as pleasant or loveable...
Kay Cannon's script is of average quality but entertainingly witty. Some lines of dialogue are more cringeworthy than Anakin and Padme's romance in Attack of the Clones (and that's saying something!) but you can't help but forgive such embarrassing dialogue and love it, because that’s what makes it fun!
The direction is, again, average but the pacing is surprisingly flawless. There isn’t one point that feels dragged or rushed, and the flow stays very consistent throughout. With a minimal runtime of just 93 minutes, there isn’t much time for slow story building and development like Blade Runner 2049, but you couldn’t expect much more from a film like this.
Like I said, the performances from the supporting cast are mediocre at best, but, once again, you wouldn’t expect Oscar worthy portrayals in a teen musical like this one! The cast work well with what they’ve got, but what they’ve got isn’t much. However, you can tell they have great chemistry, and enjoy working together.
The cinematography is unnoticeable, which would make it average, and just blends in. No IMAX mind-blowing wide shots or expert special effects, but maybe that’s a good thing. There aren’t any mind-numbing distractions, so you can just enjoy the bare bones simplistic structure, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
Because it’s a musical, it’s going to contain music and dance sequences. Was it good? Well I’m no singing expert, but it seemed alright to me…Some of the songs in Pitch Perfect 3 were embarrassing and plain cringeworthy, but you can’t bash the effort the actors put into the routine, which displays their dedication, and just proves they want to make sure the audience have an exciting time.
There is also a stereotypical, unnecessary villain played by John Lithgow, who fits all the criteria for a cliché mastermind bad guy. There really was no reason for him to be there, and literally doesn’t develop the plot in any way, and only has some relevance in the last fifteen minutes.
This is one of those movies that would be considered a guilty pleasure. You know it’s not a great film, or the best of the year, nor does it try to be, however there is so much fun to be had with Pitch Perfect 3, filled to the brim with light-hearted humour which is simple, laid back and clean. A perfect family friendly movie and one that can be enjoyed by most.
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