Gotta love 'em, but these pitches have run out of steam

Rating: 4/10 (25 October 2018)

If "Pitch Perfect 2" was a care-free, money-making victory lap for the writers/producers who managed to strike comedy gold the first time they made a movie about collegiate a cappella, what does that make "Pitch Perfect 3?" Choreographed singing and dancing on the grave of what was once a funny, charming and original 2013 comedy, perhaps.
As with any franchise three films deep, those who endeavor to watch "Pitch Perfect 3" have formed an attachment to the characters to the extent that satisfaction comes merely from seeing them again, or in this case, finding out what they've been up to since college. The Bellas are all struggling to adapt to post-college life with no jobs or cruddy ones, when Aubrey (Anna Camp) pulls a plot out of thin air and says she has a military connection that will allow the group to reunite for a brief USO tour.
The storylines that develop on said tour are all recycled or preposterously fabricated, with the group feeling threatened by the other acts on the tour that "use instruments" and Fat Amy's father (John Lithgow, with a delightful Aussie accent) dropping in unannounced. The musical numbers-once again the bright spots of this series-get artificially inseminated into the story, including a head-scratching "battle" with the theme of "artists you didn't know were Jewish."
Writer Kay Cannon had stayed involved with all three scripts, and she's kind of phoned it in on this one, even with the help of a solid collaborator in Mike White. If the story had stayed with these struggling post-college Millennials rather than swooping them off to Spain, France, etc. something good could've come of it. Instead, the ignorable plot puts more pressure on the humor, which like "Pitch Perfect 2" is hit or miss, with a lot of the same bits and tired jokes about each of the Bellas resurfacing.
That said, Cannon has always kept the spirit of these films as fairly self-aware, even at their lowest points. Director Trish Sie, who made her name directing a few viral OK Go videos including the famous treadmill dance, recognizes that irreverent spirit, but doesn't add any creative ingenuity, opting instead to follow the template set before her. Considering the musical scenes generally stand alone, there's no reason there couldn't be a few knockout music video-esque concepts baked in as diversions from the poor story.
The music is great, Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins could banter all film long and I'd eat it up, but the storylines and characters have been stretched as far they can go. It's an aca-awesome ride that will mercifully come to an end.
~Steven C
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