Pitch Perfect 3
Director: Trish Sie
Writer: Kay Cannon, Mike White
Sequel to: Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Chrissie Fit, Anna Camp, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, John Lithgow, DJ Khaled, Ruby Rose
Seen on: 8.1.2018
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Plot:
The Bellas have graduated and have to face the real world – a world that doesn’t give much about acapella groups. But when they are offered the chance to go on an USO tour of Europe, they decide to go for it: one last big splash before the rest of their lives. But touring with other (non-acapella) bands isn’t as easy as they thought and their own insecurities make things even harder.

After the (racist) catastrophe that was Pitch Perfect 2, I hadn’t planned on seeing Pitch Perfect 3. But then circumstances aligned and I ended up seeing it anyway. I have to say that it was definitely better than the second film, though it still wasn’t great.

It’s probably a good thing that Pitch Perfect 3 is officially the end of the series – I think the movies have pretty much run their course. In any case, it did manage to hit the right notes (no pun intended) for a nice good-bye, rounding the films off nicely and giving a sense of closure, while showing that the story for the characters isn’t finished yet.

There was also obviously some awareness of the issues with the films. That means that they definitely dialled back the racism, which is much appreciated and very necessary. They didn’t manage to do all the way without though. The other effect of said awareness was that they really lampshaded a lot, calling attention to tropes and contrivances. And lampshading is a fun thing when you do it every once in a while, but there’s only so much you can really excuse with it – and it was definitely overdone here, losing the effect it can have when used in more moderate doses.

I do like the music, though. The acapalla mash-ups may not be anything new anymore, but I still think they are fun and I like listening to them (though I don’t really put them on at home or listen to them in any other setting than while watching the film).

All things considered, the film is entertaining enough, but I would probably think more fondly of Pitch Perfect if they had left it at the (not unproblematic) first film and hadn’t turned it into a series in the first place.

Summarizing: For fans of the series.