Pitch Perfect 3

Pitch Perfect 3 ★ 1/2

More of a cartoon than its predecessors, and with considerably lower stakes, the third and supposedly final Pitch Perfect picks up with the Barden Bellas as they aimlessly drift through post-college life. Series star Beca (one-time Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick, who needs a better agent) isn’t satisfied as a music producer, so she quits her dream job to rejoin her old a cappella group on a reunion tour through Europe after the father of Aubrey (Anna Camp), a military brat, finds them a spot on a USO tour. It turns out the Bellas are back to their competitive ways, since the tour is doubling as a contest to find a new opening act for DJ Khaled, who plays himself. No one in the Bellas seems particularly interested in winning, though—especially Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson, still a comic highlight), who wanders off for much of the picture in a goofy side plot involving her long-lost dad (John Lithgow, saddled with a dodgy British accent). Thankfully, it’s still a lot of fun to watch (and hear) the Bellas, from Brittany Snow’s Chloe to Hailee Steinfeld’s Emily, even if every character’s a bit more broadly played this time in a plot that barely holds together. The outtakes that appear during the end credits show snippets of whole scenes that were cut, likely pointing to a rough go for director Trish Sie (Step Up: All In), who stepped in for Elizabeth Banks. Despite this, the Pitch Perfect 2 director still provides snark from the sidelines with John Michael Higgins. (At Boston Common, South Bay and in the suburbs.)


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