The Bellas Are Back, But Should They Have Stayed Away?
Making a sequel that’s more successful than its predecessor often means the studio wants to keep the ball rolling to make even more money – even when a third film isn’t needed. With the massive success of Pitch Perfect 2, they jumped at the chance to get #3 off the ground. Does it wrap things up as a trilogy? Yes. Does it do something new and level up from the previous films? To a certain extent. But does it feel necessary to us? Not really. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we conclude our conversation in our Pitch Perfect trilogy with Trish Sie’s 2017 film Pitch Perfect 3.
Here’s a hint at what we talk about.
It’s clear this movie – and the franchise, really – is not for us. That’s strange, because the first film certainly made it feel like it was. But it’s clear with each passing film that Executive Producer Elizabeth Banks preferred the goofy comedy direction for the franchise instead of the great a cappella focus. It’s frustrating, because the actors making up the Bellas clearly can sing, but the story doesn’t seem to want to be about that. It wants to be about wacky character turned up to 12.
So while we can appreciate the singing and the performances in this film, it’s hard to get past the story that just feels so written. Even with a new director – Trish Sie – at the helm, the film doesn’t work for us.
What’s funny is that, unlike the last film, this one feels like they were working harder to amp up the story and give it some new shifts that would level up the story from what we had previously. The second film didn’t do that, so that counts as a win here. Unfortunately, that ‘something new’ they’ve included is Fat Amy’s dad and their backstory, which just doesn’t work.
But hey – the movie works for some people, and it still allows for a great conversation. So tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
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